Published on 6/23/2026
It seems that the 2026 World Cup does not only write chapters of competition between teams, but also a special chapter between two of the most prominent stars of the modern generation, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, in a direct race for the Golden Shoe award, and against its background is a broader struggle over records and making history.
Lionel Messi currently tops the list of top scorers in World Cup history with 18 goals, after his brace against Austria that led Argentina to the quarter-finals. On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe continues to press, after reaching 16 goals in the history of the World Cup, surpassing the number held by German Miroslav Klose, and proving that he is the only direct competitor to Messi at this historical level.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
French press reports indicated that the chase had begun, indicating the ignition of the conflict between the two stars, not only over the top scorers, but also over the symbolism of superiority in the largest football tournament in the world.
Converging goals and a struggle for the top spot in the 2026 World Cup
At the level of the current edition, the two players are entering a very close race, as Messi tops the list of top scorers in the tournament with five goals after two matches, despite missing a penalty kick against Austria.
Immediately behind him are Kylian Mbappe and Norwegian Erling Haaland, with four goals each, after Mbappe scored a brace in France’s victory over Iraq, while Haaland signed his goals in Norway’s victory over Senegal.
This convergence in numbers reflects the intensity of the early competition, and makes the Golden Boot race open to all possibilities.
I enjoy every moment despite the momentary frustration
Lionel Messi, who is approaching his thirty-ninth year, confirmed after the match that he is focusing on enjoying the moment and continuing the journey with the Argentine national team. He said that despite missing the penalty kick, the team was able to reverse the result and achieve an important victory, indicating that the biggest goal remains to go far in the tournament and not just individual numbers. With his second goal in stoppage time, Messi raised his tally to a historic 18 goals in the World Cup, strengthening his lead on the list of all-time scorers.
Messi.. “an alien”
In the context of widespread praise for the level presented by the Argentine star, former American international player Alexi Lalas described Lionel Messi’s performance to the Fox network, saying: “He is an alien,” in reference to the great exceptionalism he displays in this version of the tournament.
The most important thing is team leadership, not numbers
For his part, Kylian Mbappé responded to this race with clear calm, stressing that his main focus is on leading France far in the tournament, and not just on scoring goals.
He explained that Messi’s presence at this level is normal, noting that the Argentine star always scores, in direct recognition of the value of his former rival in Paris Saint-Germain.
He added that records remain a natural result of performance, but the most important goal is to go as far as possible with the French national team.
Analysts believe that the expanded version of the World Cup to 48 teams contributed to increasing the number of matches, giving attackers greater opportunities to score goals and create new records. The longer rest periods between matches helped the players maintain a higher physical level, which was directly reflected in the scoring performance of the two stars.
