Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi has now joined career rival Cristiano Ronaldo in reaching a landmark international milestone.
The 35-year-old netted his 100th Argentina goal, as he scored a hat-trick, as his side romped to a 7-0 victory over Curacao in an international friendly on Tuesday.
Messi, playing in his 174th match for the three-time World Cup winners, opened the scoring on 20 minutes against his Caribbean opponents.
The Barcelona legend struck the ball with his right foot from the edge of the area to reach the 100 goal mark.
He then netted his second with a cross come shot, before then sealing his hat-trick and 102nd goal before the interval.
Messi became only the third footballer after former Iran’s Ali Daei (109) and rival Cristiano Ronaldo (122) to score a century of international goals.
Daei was the first footballer to do so, whereas, with 122 goals from 198 games, Ronaldo is the leading goalscorer on the international stage.
Ronaldo netted his 100th for Portugal in a 2-0 victory over Sweden in the Nations league back in September 2020.
LIONEL MESSI SCORES HIS 100TH GOAL FOR ARGENTINA
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— Hamza (@lapulgafreak) March 28, 2023
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Messi, meanwhile, is the first South American male player to hit the 100-goal tally, and the second South American behind Brazil’s Marta, who has managed 109 thus far.
Nico Gonzalez and Enzo Fernandez also found the back of the net, as Argentina went in to the break five-goals to the good.
Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Montiel would then get their names on the scoresheet to round off an emphatic night for the World Cup winners.
Argentina’s clash at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades marked their second victory since the World Cup, having secured a 2-0 victory over Panama last week.
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