Written by Omnia Hassan
In every World Cup, Lionel Messi succeeds in adding a new chapter to his football legend, but what the captain of the Argentine national team is offering in the 2026 World Cup seems exceptional even by his own standards. The veteran star continued to shine and led his national team to achieve an important victory over Austria after scoring two goals in the second round of the group stage, confirming that he is still one of the most prominent stars of the game despite the passing years.
A fiery start for the legendary Argentinian
Messi entered the tournament strongly after he rained down a hat-trick on Algeria in the opening round, before adding two more goals against Austria, bringing his tally to five goals in just two matches.
This amazing scoring rate has put the Tango captain at the top of the 2026 World Cup scorers list, and has also strengthened his position among the greatest players in the history of the global tournament.
Mbappe and Haaland continue the chase
Despite Messi's lead in the top scorers' race, the competition remains fierce with Frenchman Kylian Mbappe and Norwegian Erling Haaland, who each have four goals.
It seems that the battle for the Golden Boot will continue until the knockout stages, especially with the trio possessing exceptional scoring abilities and great experience in dealing with big matches.
Top scorers after the second round
Messi tops the list with five goals, followed by Mbappe and Haaland with four goals each, while Canadian Jonathan David and German Deniz Ondav occupy the next two spots with three goals each.
The list also includes a number of prominent stars who have scored two goals, including Vinicius Junior, Harry Kane, Kai Havertz, Ismail Al-Sibari, Cody Gakpo and Florian Balogun.
An exceptional World Cup awaits, and more is yet to come.
The 2026 World Cup holds special historical significance, as it is the first time it will be held with 48 teams and hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The new system has contributed to increasing the number of matches and providing an opportunity for more stars to shine and break records.
As the tournament continues, all eyes are on Messi, who is not only leading Argentina to the advanced stages, but also continuing to chase more individual achievements, in a journey that may end with adding a new title to his legendary career and writing another page in the history of the World Cup.
