US President Donald Trump has publicly lauded Argentina captain Lionel Messi following his impressive performance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Messi recorded his first-ever World Cup hat-trick against Algeria as Argentina kicked off their title defence with victory in Group J at Kansas City Stadium.
Donald Trump praises Lionel Messi’s Hat-Trick as ‘very rare’ in football
Speaking at a FIFA reception in New York, Trump highlighted Messi’s hat-trick. The US president said:
“We can see how good is Messi! He scored a hat-trick, it’s very rare in your sport!”
The comments came after Argentina’s semi-final victory over England, where Messi’s contributions helped secure a place in the final. Meanwhile, Argentina are set to face Spain in the World Cup final tonight, on Monday, July 20th IST.
Messi will attempt to retain the World Cup title amd become the only third nation to do so after Brazil and Italy. On the other hand, Spain will be eager to win their second World Cup title.
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