Messi’s First World Cup Hat Trick Leads a Pack of Stars Who Already Have Two Goals

The 2026 World Cup is only one round in, and Lionel Messi already has a hat trick. That’s his first ever in the tournament, and it came against Algeria. He’s the only player with three goals so far, but seven guys are right behind him with two apiece. That list includes Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, and Folarin Balogun among others. It’s early, but the Golden Boot race has some serious heat already.

Then there’s Amad Diallo. The Manchester United winger played just 34 minutes off the bench against Ecuador and still leads the tournament in successful dribbles with six. That’s one every five minutes basically. He also scored the late winner for Ivory Coast in that game. Some guys just don’t need a full 90 to make an impact.

On the passing front, it’s exactly who you’d expect. Vitinha has completed 128 passes, and Rodri is right behind him at 126. Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, and Aissa Mandi round out the top five. These are the guys controlling tempo for their teams. Nothing flashy, but absolutely necessary.

Defensive numbers tell a different story

Mohamed Lasheen of Egypt leads all players with eight tackles through the first round. Douglas Santos is second with seven. A bunch of guys are tied at six, including Achraf Hakimi, Dayot Upamecano, and Amir Murillo. That’s a mix of household names and lesser-known guys making their presence felt early.

Chances created is a crowded leaderboard too. Breel Embolo, Ferdi Kadioglu, Joshua Kimmich, Maxi Araujo, Pedri, and Ruben Vargas are all tied at five. That’s a lot of creativity spread across different teams and styles. Pedri being on that list is no surprise, but Kadioglu has been quietly excellent for Turkey.

And for the dribbling stat, Julian Quinoses, Lee Kang-In, and Tahith Chong each have five successful dribbles. Diallo’s six still leads, but those guys have played more minutes. Efficiency versus volume is always a fun debate with these stats.

As for assists, Alexander Isak, Chris Wood, Deniz Undav, Ryan Gravenberch, and Joshua Kimmich are all tied at two. Kimmich showing up on both the chances created and assists lists is a reminder that he’s still one of the most complete midfielders in the world. The guy does everything.

We’ll keep updating these numbers as the tournament rolls on. But after one game each, the early trends are already interesting. Messi looks hungry. Diallo looks explosive. And the midfield battles are shaping up to be chess matches worth watching.