Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez had a great view of Lionel Messi’s first-ever World Cup hat-trick.
In their opening group stage match of the 2026 World Cup, defending champions Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 and Lisandro Martinez impressed in defence.
Martinez played the full 90 minutes, putting on a combative performance to keep a clean sheet.
At the other end of the pitch, Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to equal Miroslav Klose’s World Cup goal record.
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Lisandro Martinez sends message after Argentina victory
Just hours after the full-time whistle, Martinez took to Instagram to celebrate Argentina’s victory.
He wrote: “Match by match. Come on f****** Argentina!!! Thank you all for the support. This group will always drop everything.
“Are you crazy Leo Messi 🐐”
Martinez has played with Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in his career, but it seems his ‘GOAT debate’ is a simple one.
United-linked Cristian Romero was quick to respond to the post, while Enzo Fernandez, Emiliano Martinez and Rodrigo De Paul were also flooding his comment section.
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Lisandro Martinez could make late Man United return
Argentina’s win was a statement victory, and it suggests they are gearing up to defend their world crown.
Martinez lifted the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, and now they are looking to repeat their feat in the United States.
If Argentina go on a deep run into the competition, Martinez may miss a large part of United’s pre-season schedule.
United’s first pre-season fixture is against Wrexham on July 18, with the World Cup final taking place the day after.
Martinez will be afforded an extended break over the summer after Argentina’s World Cup campaign.
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