Pakistan, June 19 -- Lionel Messi savored a "beautiful moment" after becoming the World Cup's joint all-time leading goalscorer on Tuesday but said, "ultimately, it is just a statistic, nothing more." The 38-year-old Argentina captain etched another memorable chapter in his glittering career with a brilliant hat trick in the South Americans' 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City. Messi's hat trick - his first ever at a World Cup - vaulted him alongside Germany's Miroslav Klose as the top scorer in the tournament's history with 16 goals. Next on the list is Brazilian great Ronaldo, with 15 goals, one ahead of Gerd Muller and current France star Kylian Mbappe.

"To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, i...