Messi raided his 77th, 78th and 79th international goals, giving Argentina a firm place in next year's Qatar final, while Bolivia was sluggish at the foot of the table.
On Thursday, when Argentina defeated Bolivia 3-0 in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Lionel Messi staged a hat-trick to replace Bailey as the top international scorer in South American football history.
The 34-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker represented Argentina in the 153rd minute, equalized the score with Pele's long-term 77 goals in the 14th minute, defeated a defender with nutmeg, and then defeated Bolivian goalkeeper Carlos Lampe with a lofty shot.
Then, the Argentine captain moved away from Bailey in the second night in the 64th minute, rushed into the Bolivian penalty area, played 1-2 with Lautaro Martínez, and then ended up close.
Messi completed his seventh international hat-trick in his career two minutes later. After shooting from the edge of the area was only blocked by Lampey, he buried a rebound at close range.
An emotional Messi then said, "I have been waiting for it for a long time."
"Now I'm going to enjoy it. After waiting for so long, this is a unique moment. I'm glad," he added.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Barcelona star's great opponent, maintained an international football goal record, scoring 111 goals in 180 games.
Brazilian authorities stopped the game after protesting against the participation of English player Giovanni Llo Celso and Christian Romero of Totnum, as well as Amitano Martínez and Emiliano Bundia of Aston Villa.
All four players were accused by Brazil of forging records of entering the country, but after being released by the Argentine Football Association, they did not participate in Thursday's game in Buenos Aires.
On Thursday, there was no sign of a hangover between Argentine players, because Messi quickly occupied the center stage and surpassed Brazil's great Bailey record in style.
Because Messi appears in a typical naughty form, Argentina may have more goals.
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martínez was also excluded from offside in the first half. After being set by Messi with a brilliant opportunity in 39 minutes, he should have scored and pulled his shot far from close range.
Messi may have scored a second goal in the first half and skillfully linked with PSG teammate Angel Di Maria before shooting curling at close range. However, as the Argentine cruise ship returned home, Messi finally scored in the second half.
This victory ranked the two World Cup champions second in the overall qualifying match in South America, scoring 18 points in eight games, six points behind Brazil. Brazil defeated Peru 2-0 in Recife on Thursday, maintaining a 100% qualifying record.
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