Lionel Messi can’t hold back his tears after breaking Pele’s South American goalscoring record

Lionel Messi He became the top international goal scorer in South American history with a hat-trick in Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers on Thursday. Brazil‘s skin.

The 34-year-old scored all goals in Argentina’s 3-0 win against Bolivia in World Cup qualifying, and is now 79 for the national team.

Messi recorded his tally in 153 caps for Argentina, while Pele scored 77 runs in 92 official matches for Brazil.

Pele is one of football’s all-time greats, having won the World Cup three times with Brazil

In front of nearly 20,000 fans in Buenos Aires, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner equalized Pele when he opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a shot from outside the box.

He then broke the record in the 64th minute when he dribbled the Bolivian defense before scoring.

Argentina completed their hat-trick with a rebound two minutes from the end.

Argentina scored a hat-trick in their team’s 3-0 win over Bolivia in World Cup qualifying

Messi could not hold back his tears as he celebrated Argentina’s Copa America victory after the game.

The captain lifted the trophy in front of the home fans, who were allowed to participate after a 20-month halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said, ‘I waited a long time for this, I asked for it, I dreamed about it.’ ‘It’s only one moment because of the way it happened after so much wait.’

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner lifts the Copa America trophy in front of fans after the game

Emotional Argentine star claims ‘there was no better way to celebrate victory’

“There was no better way to celebrate than by being here,” he said. ‘My mother, my brothers are here at the Tribune… they suffered a lot and today they are celebrating here. I am very happy.’

Messi had a troubled relationship with the national team, with several painful defeats at the World Cup and Copa América, until leading the team to the continental title against Brazil in July.

It was his first major title with Argentina and the end of the country’s 28-year drought.

Messi’s PSG teammate Neymar is third behind his country’s Pele on the South American goal scorers list with 68.

Messi celebrates his first major title with Argentina since series loss

Earlier this week, three-time World Cup winner Pele revealed he was in hospital to have a tumor removed in his colon, but the 80-year-old insisted he was feeling ‘very well’.

Icon has been in the hospital for six days and underwent surgery on Saturday.

The Globo news site in Brazil said Pele was undergoing routine check-ups at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo when the unknown issue was discovered.

Argentina’s international break has not been the only cause for celebration as four members of the Argentine squad were pulled out of Brazil last week.

Brazilian public health agents and federal police officers invaded the pitch during Brazil and Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers and left the game within 10 minutes.

Tottenham pair Giovanni Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, as well as Aston Villa’s Amy Bendia and Amy Martinez, have been charged with illegally entering Brazil and breaking COVID quarantine rules.

As exclusively reported by SportsMail last weekArgentines are accused of false documents, failing to declare that the four players had come from the UK and therefore risked deportation or at least quarantine in line with Brazil’s COVID protocols.

Messi and Brazilian ace Neymar, who is a teammate at PSG, argued with officials