The reigning world champions wasted little time asserting their authority in Group J, with Messi once again proving why he remains one of football's greatest-ever players. The Argentine captain delivered a masterclass as he guided Lionel Scaloni's side to all three points in their opening match of the tournament.
The contest began with plenty of early drama. Both teams saw goals ruled out in the opening exchanges, with Algeria believing they had taken a shock lead before VAR intervened for offside. Moments later, Messi also had an effort disallowed as the game burst into life from the opening whistle.
However, there was no denying the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in the 17th minute. Messi unleashed a stunning strike to break the deadlock and hand Argentina a deserved lead, sending the thousands of Argentine supporters inside the stadium into celebration.
Argentina dominated possession throughout the encounter, with Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández controlling the midfield and dictating the tempo. Algeria struggled to cope with the South Americans' intricate passing and movement, spending long periods without the ball.
The African side, making their first World Cup appearance since 2014, showed moments of resilience but found it difficult to create clear-cut opportunities against Argentina's disciplined defensive structure. Coach Vladimir Petković's men were largely restricted to sporadic counterattacks as the holders continued to press forward.
As the match progressed, Messi added two more goals to complete a memorable hat-trick, sealing a convincing victory for the Albiceleste. His performance not only secured the win but also added another remarkable chapter to an already legendary international career. At 38 years old, Messi became one of the oldest players to score a World Cup hat-trick and continued to rewrite football history on the sport's biggest stage.
The result sends Argentina to the top of Group J and underlines their status as one of the favourites to retain the World Cup crown. For Algeria, attention now turns to their remaining group-stage fixtures as they seek to revive their qualification hopes.
With Messi producing a vintage display and Argentina looking as cohesive as ever, the world champions have issued an early warning to the rest of the tournament: they remain a force to be reckoned with in their quest for back-to-back World Cup titles.