Lionel Messi, probably the greatest footballer of all time, scored a fabulous hat-trick last night to help Argentina beat Bolivia 6-0 in qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Argentina picked up its seventh win in 10 games and remains top of the South American leaderboard at the Estadio Mâs Monumental. It is a foregone conclusion that they will qualify and defend their World Cup title in 2026, even with eight rounds of qualifying matches still to be played.

Bolivia were on a historic run of three straight wins and have a real chance of qualifying for the World Cup themselves, but they were humbled by the magic of Messi on Tuesday night in Buenos Aires.

The famous number 10 scored the first goal after taking advantage of a mistake in the Bolivian defense. He burst into the penalty area and, with the expected finesse, pushed the ball past the goalkeeper at the near post. Martínez, Álvarez and later Alameda all scored as Argentina took a 4-0 lead, well out of reach.

Just when you thought the conversation was coming to an end, Lionel Messi turned on the turbo boosters once again. In the 84th minute he appeared on the edge of the penalty area, faked a shot on the left side and created space with his right side to make it 5-0.

Two minutes later, the magician completed his wonderful hat-trick with the most impressive finish of the night. The captain picked up the ball more than 35 meters from goal and made a move that would be reminiscent of his best days as a player in Barcelona.

The The one-two was played inside, leaving the outside of his left boot before moving inside to collect the return ball. He twitched, fainted and dropped his shoulder on the edge of the penalty area, all in the blink of an eye, and just when you thought the defenders had caught him, he unleashed a strike that flew low and hard past the goalkeeper to the right.

It was also a special moment for Nico Paz, the young player who has just made his debut for Argentina and provided Messi with the simple but crucial assist that he will no doubt tell his grandchildren about in the future. Messi is 37 and Paz is only 20, the latter would have grown up idolizing the former. Almost two young people saw some of his most beautiful works.

On a magical evening in Buenos Aires, with his name echoing from the stands and his talent shining as brightly as ever, Messi truly rolled back the years. Despite his age and fluctuating fitness, as long as this man can walk, he will be the most dangerous player on the football field.

Argentina now has 22 points and is ahead of Colombia, who is in second place. Bolivia drops to seventh place but is still just one point away from an automatic qualification spot. You can read about the remaining qualifying games on Tuesday evening here.