World Cup

L. Messi leads the race with 7 goals after 4 matches for Argentina. He is level on goals with Kylian Mbappé on 7, while E. Haaland sits 2 back on 5. At the current rate L. Messi projects to finish on around 56 for the season.

L. Messi has scored 7 goals for Argentina this season, accounting for 88% of the team's 8 league goals. The output goes well beyond a flat scoring rate. He is the player Argentina turn to in tight games and the one defenders have to pick up first. Recent goal hauls include 1 goal against Cape Verde Islands, 1 goal against Jordan, and 3 goals against Austria. The numbers put him in the conversation for player of the season as long as the form holds.

1. L. Messi (Argentina) on 7 goals. 2. Kylian Mbappé (France) on 7 goals. 3. E. Haaland (Norway) on 5 goals. 4. H. Kane (England) on 5 goals. 5. O. Dembélé (France) on 4 goals.

M. Olise of France tops the assists chart with 5. Bruno Guimarães (Brazil) is next on 4, and A. Isak of Sweden rounds out the top three on 3.

L. Messi is the breakout story so far. In a first season at this level he has 7 goals for Argentina, the kind of return scouts will keep on file. Defenders did not have much footage to study, and L. Messi has used that to his advantage.