Messi closes in on Ronaldo in career hat-trick tally

Inter Miami and Argentina forward Lionel Messi scored three goals in the 10th round of the South American qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup against Bolivia, which ended with a convincing 6-0 victory for Argentina.

As a result, the 37-year-old Messi has narrowed the gap with Al-Nassr and Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of career hat-tricks.

Messi now boasts a total of 58 hat-tricks, while Ronaldo has reached 66. Notably, in 29 of those matches, Ronaldo scored at least one goal from the penalty spot, compared to Messi's 12 such instances.