Kansas City: Lionel Messi etched his name deeper into World Cup history on Tuesday, becoming only the second player to score in five different FIFA World Cups as Argentina's captain struck early in the defending champions' Group J clash against Algeria.

Playing in a record sixth World Cup, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner found space in the Algerian defence and calmly beat goalkeeper Luca Zidane to score his 14th World Cup goal at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

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The breakthrough came shortly after Messi had another effort ruled out for offside.

With the goal, the Argentine great joined Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to have scored in five separate World Cups. Ronaldo became the first player to achieve the feat during the 2022 tournament and is set to make his own sixth World Cup appearance later this week.

Messi's strike also carried added significance as it came exactly 20 years after his World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany in 2006.

The 38-year-old forward, who turns 39 next week, had entered the tournament with concerns over a minor hamstring issue suffered while playing for Inter Miami. However, he showed little sign of discomfort, having already scored in a pre-World Cup warm-up appearance against Iceland.

The appearance against Algeria marked another landmark for Messi, who played his 200th international match for Argentina. Only Ronaldo, with 229 international appearances before Portugal's next game, and Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa have represented their countries more times in men's international football.

Messi's latest World Cup goal moved him level with France star Kylian Mbappe and West Germany legend Gerd Muller on 14 goals in the tournament's all-time scoring charts. Germany's Miroslav Klose remains the leading World Cup scorer with 16 goals, followed by Brazil's Ronaldo Nazario with 15.

The build-up to the match reflected Messi's enduring popularity. Thousands of Argentina supporters wearing the iconic No. 10 jersey filled Arrowhead Stadium, while fan events across Kansas City celebrated the football legend's latest World Cup appearance.