World Cup 2026: Did Lionel Messi deserve a red card before scoring a historic hat-trick against Algeria?
Lionel Messi scored a historic hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria at the 2026 World Cup, but there are many questions about whether he deserved a red card for an incident with defender Aissa Mandi.
Argentina's first match at the 2026 World Cup took place in an unforgettable way. Superstar Lionel Messi scored the first goal of his World Cup career with a hat-trick. In the process, he equaled the scoring record in World Cup history with Germany's Miroslav Klose. However, there is a question whether this scoring performance was allowed to take place or not?
After the match — a 3-0 victory for Argentina — there was increased attention to an early incident between Messi and Algeria defender Aissa Mandi, with some commentators suggesting that Messi should have received a red card for his actions. The situation happened when Argentina was leading 1-0. About 31 minutes after the match started, Messi appeared to kick Mandi in the calf during a dispute. Mandi immediately fell down and Algeria were awarded a free kick. But the way people looked back, some argued that Messi deserved a harsher punishment for this action. ESPN analysts Alejandro Moreno and Nedum Onuoha said that Messi should have received a red card for this situation. Onuoha took a more cautious view, saying, "Maybe it should have been a red card, in my opinion." He did not blame the referee during the match, saying it was possible they missed contact in real time. However, he questioned why the video referees did not intervene after reviewing the situation where Messi kicked Mandi's calf. Moreno expressed a stronger opinion, saying that Messi, "completely deserved the red card." Moreno added that the lack of penalty for Messi was an example of star players receiving "favors" during the World Cup. If Messi gets a red card, he will have to leave the field with just one goal. Additionally, Messi will be suspended for Argentina's next match, meaning he will have to wait until June 27 — at the earliest — to equal or break Klose's record. Argentina could have won the match without Messi, but this is debatable because he would have had to leave the field with the home team leading 1-0. His absence will almost certainly affect Argentina's goal difference in the future. Argentina and Messi are looking for a second consecutive World Cup trophy. After many close calls in his career, Messi has helped Argentina win at World Cup 2022. If Messi's first match at World Cup 2026 is any indication, Messi is determined to repeat the feat and play more freely after his victory at World Cup 2022. This could lead to a bigger performance for Messi at the event... but only if he can hold his own on the field. After his near-expulsion on Tuesday, Messi will probably want to avoid putting himself in doubtful situations in the future. There will be increased attention on his tackling after he escaped punishment against Algeria.
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