"He has spoiled us with his performances." That's Inter Miami head coach Guillermo Hoyos trying — and slightly failing — to find the right words for what Lionel Messi is doing at the 2026 World Cup. The problem with Messi is that his baseline is so high, a hat-trick in a World Cup opener barely raises eyebrows anymore.
At 39 years old, Messi is at a record sixth World Cup and is jointly leading the Golden Boot charts alongside Kylian Mbappe. Six goals in three games. That's not a player in graceful decline — that's a player peaking at a tournament that matters most.
The record books have been rewritten
His hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening game drew him level with Miroslav Klose as the tournament's all-time top scorer. Two more goals against Austria — a brace in a clean 2-0 win — and the record was his outright. He now stands alone on 19 World Cup goals.
A substitute appearance against Jordan rounded off the group stage with a free-kick goal, the kind that gets filed under "of course he did." Three games. Six goals. One record that may never be touched.
Hoyos didn't just offer praise in the abstract. "What we see from him every day in training and in games, we are now enjoying on the World Cup stage," he said. That's a useful reminder: Messi's form at this tournament isn't coming from nowhere. He sits second in MLS scoring this season with 12 goals for Inter Miami, and is joint-second among assist leaders with seven. He has been in form all year.
Suarez has a front-row seat
Club teammate Luis Suarez put it more simply than the coach managed. "Words can't do him justice as a player or as a spectator," Suarez said. "Seeing him happy and enjoying the World Cup is the best thing ever."
For Argentina's World Cup odds, this Messi is a different calculation than the one bookmakers might have priced in pre-tournament. A 39-year-old co-leading the Golden Boot while carrying a national team is the kind of variable that reshapes a tournament bracket entirely.
Nineteen World Cup goals. Outright. Alone. At 39.
