Lionel Messi joined an elite club with his seventh hat-trick for Argentina.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi on Tuesday scored his 100th international goal for the reigning world champions as they romped to a 7-0 friendly win over outclassed Curacao. Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi opened the scoring against the Caribbean island minnows on 20 minutes in Santiago del Estero. It came 17 years after he opened his Argentina account in a 3-2 defeat to Croatia in March 2006. The 35-year-old soon added another just after the half-hour mark to make it 3-0, and then completed his hat-trick on 37 minutes with the fifth as Argentina toyed with their overmatched opponents. It was his seventh hat-trick for the national team.
“You cannot describe Messi in words,” said fellow goalscorer Nicolas Gonzalez.
“He’s the best in the world and he shows it match after match, day after day. Every time he touches the ball, he makes you smile.”
Messi came into the game not just as his country’s all-time record goalscorer, but with more goals than the next two top marksmen — Gabriel Batistuta on 56 and Sergio Aguero with 41 — put together.
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