Soccer
Kylian Mbappe in action for France. Copyright: xGuerinxCharles/ABACAxImago
Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi dominated headlines once again at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with their goalscoring performances for France and Argentina respectively on Monday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Both former Paris Saint-Germain superstars entered the tournament with their sights set on Miroslav Klose’s all-time record for the most goals in World Cup history and after just two rounds of matches, they have already sparked a thrilling Golden Boot race.
Mbappé entered the tournament with 12 World Cup goals and drew first blood with a brace in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal in their opening match. The double saw him move ahead of Messi on the all-time list and within two goals of Klose’s record.
However, Messi, who began the tournament on 13 goals, responded with a stunning hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria, which took him level with Klose and back ahead of Mbappé.
The two former PSG stars were again in the spotlight on Monday following more outstanding goalscoring displays for their respective countries and their battle is now shaping up to be one of the major storylines of the tournament.
Messi scored twice in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria, surpassing Klose to become the outright all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history with 18 goals. The Argentine legend also moved top of the Golden Boot standings with five goals after two rounds of matches.
Mbappé responded later in the day with a brace of his own in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq. The France captain moved level with Klose on 16 World Cup goals, just two behind Messi, while taking his tally for the tournament to four goals.
Soccer Asisat Oshoala backs Mbappé to break Messi’s record
After Messi set the tone earlier in Argentina’s victory over Austria, all eyes were on how Mbappé would respond. The French forward duly delivered, scoring twice to remain hot on Messi’s heels as the two players continue to pull away from the rest.
Super Falcons forward Asisat Oshoala also joined the conversation on her X (formerly Twitter) account. The Al Hilal forward believes Mbappé could even go on to break Messi’s record at this tournament, especially after his stunning start.
“Let’s not lie o, Mbappé is capable of shattering this Messi record at this current World Cup”, Oshoala tweeted.
Both players have already helped their countries qualify for the next round and will hope to continue their historic runs on the final match-day of the group stage later this week.
Mbappé could even break the record when he leads France against Norway in their final Group I clash on Saturday, before Messi returns to action for Argentina against Jordan on Sunday.
However, even if Mbappé does not overtake Messi at this tournament, he may still have the edge in the long run. The France star is likely to feature at another World Cup, while this tournament could realistically be Messi’s final appearance on football’s biggest stage.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.
Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin
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