Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé Headline Historic Record Pursuit At 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup may be less than two weeks old, but the tournament is already witnessing a remarkable wave of record-breaking performances from some of football’s biggest names.

Reports monitored by Ireporter Online indicate that Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland have all made significant impacts in the early stages of the competition, placing themselves on the brink of several historic achievements.

Messi moved level with former German striker Miroslav Klose as the highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history after producing a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria. The Argentine captain now boasts 16 World Cup goals and requires just one more strike to become the outright record holder.

French star Mbappé is also closing in on the milestone. The 27-year-old forward, who recently became France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 international goals, has taken his World Cup tally to 14 goals and remains a strong contender to surpass the record.

England captain Harry Kane further cemented his legacy after scoring twice in England’s 4-2 triumph over Croatia. The goals lifted his World Cup tally to 10, drawing him level with Gary Lineker as England’s highest scorer in the competition’s history. Kane’s appearance also marked his 115th cap for the national team, equalling David Beckham’s record among England’s most-capped players.

The race for the Golden Boot has already intensified after the opening round of fixtures. Messi shares the lead with Germany’s Denis Undav and Canada’s Jonathan David on three goals each, while Kane, Mbappé and Haaland are closely behind with two goals apiece.

Mbappé is seeking to become the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot on two occasions after claiming the honour in Qatar, while Kane is aiming to repeat his feat from the 2018 tournament when he finished as the competition’s leading scorer.

Cristiano Ronaldo also added another chapter to his illustrious career despite Portugal’s 1-1 draw against DR Congo. The 41-year-old became only the second player, alongside Messi, to feature in six FIFA World Cup tournaments. He also set a new benchmark as the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match at 41 years and 132 days. A goal during the tournament would make him the first footballer to score in six different World Cup editions.

Norway’s Erling Haaland enjoyed a memorable debut on football’s biggest stage, scoring twice in his country’s 4-1 victory over Iraq. The performance made him the first Norwegian player to score a World Cup brace and saw him draw level with Kjetil Rekdal as Norway’s all-time leading World Cup scorer after just one appearance.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha also etched his name into the record books during his side’s goalless draw against Spain. The veteran shot-stopper made seven saves to help secure a historic point in his nation’s first-ever World Cup match. At 40 years and 12 days old, he became both the oldest player to appear in a country’s World Cup debut and the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his World Cup finals debut.

France manager Didier Deschamps is equally approaching a landmark achievement. The French coach is now just one victory away from matching Helmut Schön’s record of 16 World Cup wins as a manager and could surpass the mark before the group stage concludes.

Meanwhile, disciplinary concerns have emerged as an early talking point at the tournament. Six red cards have already been issued, surpassing the totals recorded during both the 2018 and 2022 editions. Although the World Cup record of 28 red cards set in 2006 remains some distance away, the figure remains within reach with many matches still left to be played.