SATV, Kathmandu, Jun. 18 - Lionel Messi savoured a "beautiful moment" after becoming the World Cup's joint all-time leading goalscorer on Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Nepal) but said "ultimately, it is just a statistic, nothing more".

The 38-year-old Argentina captain etched another memorable chapter in his glittering career with a brilliant hat-trick in the South Americans' 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City.

Messi's hat-trick -- his first ever at a World Cup -- vaulted him alongside Germany's Miroslav Klose as the top scorer in the tournament's history with 16 goals.

Next on the list is Brazilian great Ronaldo, with 15 goals, one ahead of Gerd Muller and current France star Kylian Mbappe.

"To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment," Inter Miami star Messi said. "I'm happy."

He added: "It's an honour to be there, given what it means to stand alongside Klose or the others.

"Ronaldo is there too but I don't think it means anything -- Mbappe as well, who scored two today (in a 3-1 win against Senegal).

"In the end, it's just a statistic and nothing more."

Messi's razor-sharp eye for goal augurs well for Argentina's hopes of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.

"The squad, it's a very united, very strong group," he said. "I feel good. We were lucky enough to win a tough match. It's important to start off with a win in the first game.

"I'm grateful to the fans, because once again they've shown that Argentina is crazy about this -- we packed the stadium again."

Messi scored first goal in the opening minutes on a nifty feed from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the second off an opportunistic rebound early in the second half, and the third on a crisp strike moments before subbing out to a standing ovation from a crowd of 69,045 tilted heavily toward the three-time World Cup champions.

“At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say?” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “He’s incredible.”

"For 20 years, he's had us used to seeing things like this, and he inspires everyone who watches him play," he said of Messi's masterclass.

Messi had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami that slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup. But the eight-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, which honours global soccer's best player, had no problems in a tune-up last week with Iceland, scoring on a penalty kick while playing 20 minutes in a sharp performance.

“This is my sixth World Cup, and I still feel like I’m in good shape,” Messi said. “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.”

Messi's appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at age of 18. The only players with more are Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who will play his 229th on Wednesday, and Bader al-Mutawa, who played in 202 for Kuwait.

Messi and Ronaldo are the only men to have scored in five World Cups.

“Class is permanent,” Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said. “He's fortunate to have the privilege that the entire Argentina team works for him, and supports him, and for a number of years now — decades — he's done incredible things.”

Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said Messi was still the heartbeat of the team despite his veteran status.

"If anyone thought this group was better off without Leo, today it became clear that Leo is the most important of them all," he said.

Rodrigo De Paul, who supplied the pass for the first goal on Tuesday, described the former Barcelona star as "a beast".

“It’s an advantage to have Leo because of how he handles the group and pushes it forward. Because of who he is,” De Paul said. “He doesn’t care about individual records. He prioritizes the group, and for us it’s incredible.” (AFP)