Lionel Messi just can’t stop scoring at World Cups. The Inter Miami star pushed himself back to the top of the Golden Boot leaderboard Tuesday night with a dramatic equalizer as Argentina came from two goals down to beat Egypt in Atlanta. That goal, his eighth of the tournament, put him one clear of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in what’s shaping up to be one of the tighter scoring races in recent memory.
Mbappe had briefly pulled level with Messi earlier in the day, scoring the only goal in a chippy France-Paraguay match that sent Les Bleus to the quarterfinals. That’s now seven goals in five games for the Real Madrid forward, and 19 total across all his World Cup appearances. Not bad for a guy who’s still only 27.
Haaland matched Mbappe’s tally with a brace in Norway’s historic win over Brazil. The Manchester City striker powered home a header with 12 minutes left, then added another in stoppage time. It was the kind of performance that reminds everyone why he’s the most feared pure scorer in the sport. Norway is suddenly a team nobody wants to face.
But Messi responded in Atlanta. Argentina looked dead in the water, down 2-0 to Egypt, before their captain dragged them back. He’s now scored in every game this tournament and in nine straight World Cup matches overall. The man is 39 years old and still chasing records. He sits five goals shy of Just Fontaine’s single-tournament record of 13, set back in 1958.
Harry Kane lurking in the shadows
Don’t sleep on the England captain. Harry Kane converted a penalty as ten-man England beat Mexico 3-2 in a chaotic match at the Azteca. That’s six goals for the Bayern Munich striker, two off the lead. Kane now holds the World Cup record for most successful penalty kicks (excluding shootouts) with six. He’s never won the Golden Boot at a major tournament, but he’s quietly staying in range.
The rest of the pack is a logjam. Ousmane Dembele, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and a handful of others are all sitting on four goals. None of them are out of it yet, but they’ll need a monster knockout round to catch the leaders.
Day 26 also said goodbye to Cristiano Ronaldo
Not everything was about goals. Portugal’s campaign ended with a loss to Belgium, and Cristiano Ronaldo likely played his final World Cup match. The tournament moves on without him, while Messi keeps writing his own ending. The Golden Boot race feels like it could come down to whoever goes deepest into the bracket.
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