Lionel Messi moved to the top of The Athletic’s updated World Cup third-place standings after every team had played two matches. The latest top 50 gives the early tournament picture shape, with Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland leading the list.
Messi against Austria
Messi did more than head the ranking. He delivered another match-winning masterclass against Austria and became the competition’s all-time top scorer.
That combination of output and finish is why he sits first. The ranking now reflects two matches of evidence, and the top line separates the players who have merely started well from those already deciding games.
Mbappe and Haaland
Mbappe stayed right behind him. He scored his second long-range strike in as many group games and also tapped in from Ousmane Dembele’s pass against Iraq.
Haaland matched that pace in a different way. He scored four goals after a double against Senegal and wrapped up qualification from Group I with a game to spare.
Dembele, Neymar, Ronaldo
Dembele’s influence showed up in the numbers too. He registered his third assist of the tournament for Mbappe’s screamer, the kind of service that pushes a ranking after two matches.
Neymar scored for the second time in as many matches in a rout of Haiti and created both of Matheus Cunha’s goals. Bruno Fernandes slid Cristiano Ronaldo clear for Ronaldo’s second goal against Uzbekistan, while Achraf Hakimi owned the right flank against Scotland and created a great headed chance for Bilal El Khannouss.
Other stars still left their mark without always getting the finish. Luis Diaz was offside on the one occasion when he found the net against DR Congo, Harry Kane had a golden chance in the final minutes against Ghana and did not convert it, and England were effectively stifled in Boston.
The bigger value for readers is simple: the ranking is no longer based on reputation alone. After two matches, The Athletic has enough evidence to separate the early front-runners from the names still waiting to climb, even if the full top 50 order is not laid out here.
