Lionel Messi Back to His Unplayable Best in Argentina’s Dominant 6-0 Victory Over Bolivia

8x Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi made his much-anticipated return to Argentina’s starting lineup for the first time since the Copa America final, and it was like he’d never left. The 37-year-old delivered a mesmerizing performance, reminding everyone why he's still La Pulga, as La Albiceleste scored six past Bolivia in World Cup qualifiers.

Returning to Argentina after almost a year, Lionel Messi gave his adoring fans a night to remember. He opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a clinical finish into the bottom left corner, marking his 850th career goal across club and country. Messi wasn’t done there—he set up Argentina’s second in the 43rd minute with a perfectly threaded pass to Lautaro Martínez, who tapped it into an open net. Moments later, Messi delivered another exquisite assist, this time to Julián Álvarez, who slotted home Argentina’s third just before the halftime whistle. 

After the break, Argentina continued their onslaught. Thiago Almada, fresh off the bench, added a fourth with a first-time strike from Nahuel Molina's inch-perfect cross in the 69th minute. But the best was yet to come. Messi capped off his triumphant return with a stunning two-minute brace. He bagged his second in the 84th minute before completing his hat trick in the 86th minute. This was La Pulga’s 10th hattrick in Argentina colors, and his first since he scored three goals for Argentina in a 7-0 win over Curaçao on 28th March 2023. It was a spectacular night for La Pulga, leaving the fans at Estadio Mas Monumental in awe. Following his third goal, every fan in the stadium stood on their feet and serenaded the little magician. 

After the game, Lionel Messi spoke about the support he and his teammate received on the night. He said, “It’s great to come here, to feel the affection of the people. I'm excited when they shout my name. We all enjoy the connection with the people, and we love playing in Argentina. We're happy with the win.” With his three goals against Bolivia, Messi is now the third highest international goalscorer with 112 goals for Argentina. He’s only behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 133 times for Portugal. Moreover, he also leads the scoring charts in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with six goals. As for Argentina, they occupy the first spot in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers after accumulating 22 points in 10 games. In their next games, La Albiceleste face 57th ranked Paraguay and 43rd ranked Peru in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers next month. 

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