Erling Haaland has labelled Lionel Messi a “madman” following his World Cup hat-trick for Argentina. The 38-year-old scored all three goals in the victory over Algeria with that stunning achievement coming just hours before Haaland’s brace for Norway against Iraq.
Messi’s three goals has seen him join Miroslav Klose as the all-time joint-top scorer at the World Cup on 16 with it also his first World Cup hat-trick. Kylian Mbappe and Haaland were both on target twice earlier in the day, but Messi managed to one-up both with the former providing a clear response, via Snapchat.
View 3 ImagesErling Haaland has sent a Lionel Messi message(Image: Erling Haaland Snapchat)
Alongside a picture of himself, he simply wrote: “Messi is a madman [crown emoji].” Thomas Muller was also quick to share his verdict as the Germany icon posted to Instagram : “This guy… [goat emoji].”
Folarin Balogun and Kai Havertz were joined by Mbappe and Haaland on two goals for the tournament but Messi now leads the golden boot standings.
Following his first goal, Messi was visibly emotional with the former Barcelona star revealing after the game why he was tearing up.
He said: “I cried after the first goal, yes… but it was something completely unrelated to football. I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength”.
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On his condition and Argentina’s chances, he added: “This is my 6th World Cup, and I still feel like I’m in good shape. Fortunately, I’m doing well, and today we managed to win a tough match.
“It’s important to start the tournament with a victory in the first game, as that’s never easy in a World Cup. I am so pleased that I lived through everything I went through in my career. What I’m living now is like an extra gift.”
Argentina have all but secured qualification to the knockout stages following such a dominant win and topping group J would see them face runner-up of Group C.
View 3 ImagesRodrigo De Paul supplied the assist for Lionel Messi’s first goal
Morocco are their most likely opponents even following their draw against Brazil which saw Scotland move into first after beating Haiti.
Steve Clarke’s side could still be knocked out in the group stages as they go into their next two games as underdogs.
England meanwhile, are yet to kick off their campaign but will do so in just over 12 hours as they face Croatia before then taking on Ghana and Panama.
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