Lionel Messi became the third footballer in history to surpass the goal of 100 goals in the national team. Argentina’s world champions captain scored a hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Curacao in Tuesday’s friendly.
Thirty-five-year-old Messi scored three times in 17 minutes against the Caribbean opposition in Santiago del Estero. The Jubilee team opened the scoring with a goal in the 20th minute after Giovani Lo Celso’s right-footed pass on the ground. He started his second hundred hits in the 33rd minute with a shot at the back post and four minutes later finished off the break after another Lo Celso pass.
In the elite company of hundred-goal national team scorers, Messi joined Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (122) and Iran’s Ali Daeí (109).
“We don’t stop celebrating and I think it’s right and deserved. I hope there will be more goals from Messi. He deserves all the glory and it’s good that he scored all these goals on Argentine soil, it has its special value.” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.
Last week in Buenos Aires, Messi scored his 800th competitive goal in a 2-0 warm-up win over Panama in Argentina’s first game since December’s World Cup triumph in Qatar.
In addition to the Paris Saint-Germain star striker, Nicolás González and Enzo Fernández added to Curacao’s account in the first half on Tuesday, and Ángel Di María and Gonzalo Montiel added more goals after the break.
