Messi stays humble after hat-trick performance

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick on December 10, 2022, during Argentina's 3-0 victory over Croatia in the World Cup semi-final, equalling Gabriel Batistuta's record of 11 World Cup goals for Argentina. Messi stated that equalling the record "is an honour, but it is just a statistic," emphasizing his focus on the team's performance. This achievement places him alongside other notable World Cup goal scorers, with Cristiano Ronaldo having scored 8 goals and Kylian Mbappé leading the tournament with 8 goals in 2022. Messi's performance also marked his 25th World Cup appearance, a new record for an Argentine player, surpassing Diego Maradona's 21 appearances. His penalty in the match brought his total World Cup goal count to 11, with the potential to add more in the final. The win secured Argentina's place in the World Cup final, where they faced France.