Three stars in the World Cup sky: Mbappé, Messi and Haaland are rewriting the history of goal-scoring

Three of the most eagerly awaited stars of the 2026 World Cup are set to shine in the North American skies: Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland. In the matches in which their respective national teams made their tournament debuts, seeing off Senegal, Algeria and Iraq, these three icons of the contemporary footballing firmament not only provided the decisive bursts of pace that turned the tide of the games, but also rewrote the history of World Cup goals.

For a good hour, France looked tense, almost timid. Senegal dominated proceedings with confidence, even coming close to taking the lead in the first half. Then, in the 66th minute, the match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, in the New York/New Jersey area, took a decisive turn: Olise found space down the flank, Mbappé cut inside and scored to make it 1–0. A wide run, a cut inside, and a clinical diagonal shot into the far corner. A classic move that has now come to feel almost inevitable.

It was the goal that broke the deadlock. France grew into the game, spreading the play, and in the 82nd minute Barcola doubled the lead with a tap-in from Rabiot’s assist.

In stoppage time, the talented Mbaye, born in 2008, created a winning opportunity and, in the 95th minute, brought the African side back into the game. But it was an illusion that lasted barely a minute. Mbappé received the ball thirty metres from goal, took aim and unleashed a right-footed strike that sealed the match and made history. With this brace, Mbappé took his World Cup tally to 14 goals – a record for a French player – and overtook Giroud to become the national team’s all-time top scorer.

At Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the World Cup became a one-man show for Lionel Messi, who secured Argentina’s 3-0 victory with a hat-trick and, above all, seemed to defy the passage of time; at 38, his age seemed to vanish on the pitch.