Matchday 6 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup had exciting contenders win big, but the highlight of the day was definitely Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria, as Argentina comfortably won the game 3-0.
The 38 year old proved his calibre once again on his very first matchday in this tournament, having now reached Miroslav Klose’s record of most goals (16) scored at a World Cup.
While both teams had a goal each disallowed for offside early in the game, La Albiceleste came out on top in the Group J fixture.
Despite Messi’s magical performance, and also a strong display by the Argentina side in general, the margin of victory also had to do with the dismal performance of Algeria goalkeeper, Luca Zidane.
For the first goal, a screamer by Messi from outside the box, Luca managed to get his hands on the ball, but was unable to stop it, and almost parried it into his own net.
For the second goal, the keeper stopped a long-range grounded shot by Alexis Mac Allister, but could not hold on to it. The ball went straight to Messi, who was already in the box, and he scored with an easy tap-in.
Arguably, Luca performed better in the later stage of the game, and he could hardly do anything about the last goal.
However, fans were not happy with his performance at all, and posts on X clearly show their frustration.
Having returned to the World Cup after missing out in the last two editions, fans clearly expected more.
One user even went ahead to complete the analogy with USA, one of the host nations, by calling Luca Zidane a product of nepotism and comparing him to NBA legend LeBron James’ son, Bronny James.
Luca Zidane is a worse case of nepotism than Bronny James, brother
— Chiddy 🇳🇬 (@chiddyafc) June 17, 2026
Such allegations are rooted in the fact that Luca is the second son of one of the icons of football, Zinedine Zidane.
In fact, it was not just the fans who were left disappointed, but Zizou himself watched his son’s performance with disapproval.
Football fans were quick to react to the incident on X, with some joking about how Luca is unfit to carry the Zidane name on his shirt.
Others compared his expression to that of Homelander, from the comic book and TV series, The Boys.
Photoshop edits were made as well, referencing the controversial but iconic moment from the 2006 World Cup, when Zinedine Zidane’s head-butt on Italian defender Marco Materazzi and his resulting send-off lost the final for France.
Luca Zidane started his club career at the Real Madrid academy, moving up the ranks to become a rotational keeper in the main squad, appearing just twice for them in 3 years.
He then moved on to Rayo Vallecano, then to Eibar, and finally to Granada, where he currently plays.
His latest season between the sticks has been just as mediocre as his performance on Tuesday night, as Granada finished mid-table in LaLiga 2.
Algeria will be looking to perform better in their 2nd group stage match, against Jordan, on 22nd June. On the other side, current champions Argentina will want to impress once again against Austria on the same day.
