Lionel Messi got back to his best for Argentina in a 6-0 home win over Bolivia in a South American World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday. He scored three goals and set up two others.

The hero missed the first two rounds of the competition in September because of an ankle injury. On Tuesday, he played the whole game in front of loud fans at the Monumental de Nuñez Stadium, who chanted his name after he scored the first goal in the 19th minute.

The World Cup winners are still in first place in the round-robin competition with 22 points after 10 games, three points ahead of second-placed Colombia, who beat Chile 4-0 earlier in the day.

The 37-year-old Messi scored his first goal after a Bolivian defender missed a pass, which let him run free and finish in front of goalie Billy Viscarra without being touched. Messi helped set up Lautaro Martínez’s goal in the 42nd minute, and he did it again in extra time when Julián Álvarez scored.

Italy seemed to slow down after the break, but Thiago Almada scored again in the 69th minute. Nahuel Molina sent in a low cross that he scored from close range.

It was Messi who scored two great goals from the edge of the box, one in the 84th minute and the other in the 86th.

Messi repeatedly refused to say if he would play in the 2026 World Cup. “We enjoyed this, we are happy to be here playing in Argentina,” he said. “This could be one of the last (matches in front of the Argentinian crowd).”

With 12 points, Bolivia is still in the running to make it to the World Cup for the first time in 30 years.