Messi, Haaland, Mbappe: The Golden Boot Race Is On

Eighteen goals. That is where Lionel Messi stands in World Cup history right now, alone at the summit, having surpassed Miroslav Klose’s all-time record inside just two matches. A hat-trick against Algeria and a ruthless brace against Austria have separated him from every man who ever laced up boots at a World Cup. Five goals in six days. The record books are being rewritten in real time.

But Messi’s lead at the top of the Golden Boot standings is not as comfortable as it might look. Behind him, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are both sitting on four goals. Both have been in explosive form. Both are capable of going on a run at any moment. This race is not over. It has barely begun.

Norway’s Erling Haaland has announced himself at his first-ever World Cup with a thunderous start. Two goals in a commanding 4-1 win over Iraq, then two more in the heart-stopping 3-2 thriller against Senegal. Four goals in two matches, delivered with the brutal clinical power he has stamped across European football for years. Kylian Mbappe is equally lethal, netting twice as France dismantled Iraq 3-0 in a contest that was never really close.

The difference? Messi has scored more from fewer shots and has the historic record as extra motivation. But Haaland and Mbappe each have at least one more group game in which to close the gap. The arithmetic is tight. The drama is building with every match.

Beyond the headline three-way battle, a clutch of strikers are making serious noise. Germany substitute Denis Undav, who drew comparisons to Roger Milla after his super-sub heroics, sits on three goals without ever starting a match. Canada’s Jonathan David, making his mark at a home tournament, also has three and could surge deep into the competition. USA’s Folarin Balogun has been among the tournament’s most dangerous finishers as the Americans powered into the knockout rounds without their captain.

At 48 teams, this expanded World Cup rewards volume scorers. The Golden Boot goes to whoever finds the net most consistently. Whoever peaks in the knockout rounds takes the prize.

Messi’s record may ultimately prove unreachable. Or Haaland might explode through the knockout rounds and overhaul him entirely. That is the extraordinary thing about this tournament. At five goals from two games, Messi has done something no player in history has ever done — and yet the competition is entirely alive. Whoever lifts the trophy at the final in mid-July will likely be the man who lifts the Golden Boot too. These three are just getting started.