The race for the adidas Golden Boot caught fire, and it was a 38-year-old playing in his sixth and final World Cup who finished the day on top. Lionel Messi's hat-trick against Algeria left him alone at the summit, with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland leading a crowded chasing pack.
Against everyone's predictions, the oldest outfield player in the tournament is ahead in the race for the Golden Boot. At 38 years and 357 days, Messi scored three times as defending champions Argentina opened with a 3-0 win over Algeria in Group J.
This is the first World Cup hat-trick of his career, and it arrived in record-breaking circumstances: he became the oldest player to score three in a World Cup match, a mark that had belonged to his rival, Ronaldo.
If Messi provided the headline, the two pre-tournament favourites made sure the race stayed live. A few hours before Messi took the field, Mbappé had scored twice against Senegal. The match ended 3-1, a clear win for France, and a new record for the French captain. He became France's all-time leading scorer, overtaking Olivier Giroud on 58 international goals.
Then it was Haaland's turn. Finally, on the World Cup stage after missing Qatar 2022, the Norway striker marked his tournament debut with two goals in a 4-1 win over Iraq, ending his country's 28-year absence from the finals in style.
France and Norway are drawn in the same group. So Mbappé and Haaland are on course to meet on the final group matchday - a fixture that could double as a head-to-head in the scoring race.
The obvious candidate rarely wins the Golden Boot, and the opening round served as a reminder of how deep the field runs. Three more players matched Mbappé and Haaland on two goals, and none of them were among the favourites.
The United States' Folarin Balogun struck twice in the first half of the co-hosts' 4-1 win over Paraguay. Germany's Kai Havertz helped himself to a brace in a 7-1 demolition of debutants Curaçao, while Sweden's Yasin Ayari did the same in a 5-1 rout of Tunisia.
