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Lionel Messi leads the scoring table of the with five goals after the first two matchdays of the group stage, while Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland are close behind with four goals each in a race for the Golden Boot that promises to last until the end of the tournament.
The Argentine captain built his advantage with two memorable performances: a hat-trick against Algeria on June 17 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City —his first World Cup hat-trick— and a brace against Austria on Monday at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, a match in which Argentina secured their qualification with a perfect six points as the top team in Group J.
The tournament's artillery table stands as follows:
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 5 goals
- Kylian Mbappé (France): 4 goals
- Erling Haaland (Norway): 4 goals
- Deniz Undav (Germany): 3 goals
- Jonathan David (Canada): 3 goals
Mbappé reached his four goals with doubles against Senegal and Iraq, the latter match in which France won 3-0 on Monday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, also advancing with a perfect score.
A fact that turns the Frenchman's pursuit into something more than just a battle for the tournament lead: with his 16 historical goals in World Cups, Mbappé ties the record previously held by the German Miroslav Klose before Messi shattered it.
Haaland, for his part, scored a brace against Senegal on Monday at MetLife Stadium to qualify a Norway that returns to the World Cup after 28 years of absence, with a 3-2 victory that confirms the Manchester City forward as the major Nordic threat in the tournament.
Beyond the争 for the top scorer title, Messi has already marked the most significant historical moment of this edition.
With his brace against Austria, he surpassed Klose's record to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 18 goals across six editions, from Germany 2006 to this tournament.
This brand now adds another achievement that places it alongside two legends: scoring in six consecutive World Cup matches, a feat previously accomplished only by Just Fontaine in Sweden 1958 and Jairzinho in Mexico 1970.
Among the contenders for the podium are the German Deniz Undav and the Canadian Jonathan David, both with three goals and several matches ahead to continue climbing the rankings.
At 39 years old, in what could be his last World Cup, Messi not only leads the race for the Golden Boot but continues to rewrite the history of the competition with every match he plays.
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