The goals are flying in the Fifa World Cup in United States, and after two rounds of group games, one name sits clear at the top. "Lionel Messi".
The Argentina captain has scored five times in his first two matches, putting him ahead in the Golden Boot race at the 2026 FIFA Game.
It is not just about this tournament. With those five goals, Messi has now scored 18 goals across six World Cups, breaking the all-time tournament record.
The chasers
Right behind him are two familiar faces.
Kylian Mbappe of France has four goals so far. The 2022 Golden Boot winner is picking up right where he left off in Qatar.
Level with Mbappe is Norway’s Erling Haaland, also on four goals after two games. For Haaland, it is a dream first World Cup, and he has scored in both matches.
USA Today notes all three stars have been “scoring for fun, with all three scoring multiple goals in each of their two group games so far”.
The next group
Germany’s Deniz Undav and Canada’s Jonathan David are next, both on three goals each.
Undav has also added two assists, which gives him an edge on tie-breakers in the official rankings updated before June 22.
Two-goal club getting crowded
After round two, the list of players on two goals is already long.
Christiano Ronaldo of Portugal is in the list, England captain Harry Kane is there, alongside USA striker Folarin Balogun, Germany’s Kai Havertz, New Zealand’s Elijah Just, and Canada’s Cyle Larin.
The Netherlands’ Crysencio Summerville, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, Uruguay’s Maxi Araujo and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior are also on two, with assists helping to separate them.
Switzerland even has a surprise entry. Johan Mazambi came off the bench against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the second group game and scored twice in 18 minutes. “It’s the first brace of my career, and at the World Cup on top of that,” he said afterwards.
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