Messi Bags Hat-Trick As Argentina Defeat Haiti

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has sent a strong message to the Super Eagles and Argentina’s foes at the Russia 2018 World Cup as he bagged a hat-trick in his country’s 4-0 humiliation of Haiti.

The Albiceleste began their road to the World Cup with a friendly at home against Patrice Neveu’s side in the early hours of Wednesday.

Messi who won the Olympic gold medal after Argentina beat Nigeria in the final in 2008, bagged three goals in the 17th, 58th and 66th minute of the game, and also set up Manchester City’s striker Sergio Aguero who came on for Gonzalo Higuain in the second half to score the fourth goal in the 69th minute.

The hat-trick takes the 30-year-old’s international tally to 64 goals in 124 appearances.

The Barca star will look to captain the Argentine side to the trophy for the first time since Diego Maradona in 1986.

The South Americans are in Group D of the competition with Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria.

Argentina will travel to Europe where they have an eight-day camp in Barcelona ahead of a final warm-up game against Israel on June 9.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) had in a letter urged Argentina to cancel a friendly football match against Israel, after they accused Israel of “politicising sport” by hosting match at the Teddy Stadium, which sits on land once home to a Palestinian village before it was destroyed by Israeli forces in 1948 during the creation of the state of Israel.