The captain of the Albiceleste got going with a crisply-taken penalty after 17 minutes, before completing his treble early in the second half with two cool finishes from inside the box.

He then provided the assist for Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero to round off the scoring in Buenos Aries.

Argentina are due to play their final warm-up match against Israel on June 9 before beginning their campaign against Iceland on June 16.

The South Americans are bidding to become world champions for the first time since 1986, in what could well be Messi's final shot at the trophy.

The striker, who turns 31 during the tournament, is Argentina's all-time record goalscorer with 61, having overtaken Gabriel Batistuta's tally of 54 in June 2016.

Argentina could face Australia at the World Cup in the Round of 16, with the progressing teams from Groups C and D paired off against each other.