Santa Clara (California) [US], June 24: In the 2022 World Cup final, France's Kylian Mbappe outshone Lionel Messi with a hat-trick to end up as tournament top scorer, but it was still the Argentina maestro lifting the trophy.
Four years on and the pair are at it again, playing a game between themselves for the World Cup Golden Boot and possibly ultimate glory.
Messi now holds the record for most men's World Cup goals across tournaments with 18. Mbappe is on 16, which had been the previous record held by Germany's Miroslav Klose since 2014.
The Argentina icon's classy double in Monday's 2-0 win over Austria was followed, albeit after a big break for thunderstorms, by the France skipper adding two more goals of his own in the 3-0 success over Iraq in Philadelphia.
Not missing a penalty might have swelled Messi's numbers even more but he still leads the scoring charts in North America on five from two games, with Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland - who also netted twice in Monday's 3-2 victory over Senegal - on four.
"The hunt is on," wrote French newspaper L'Équipe, adding that "the lightning struck three times," meaning the actual electrical storm and Mbappe's two goals.
Expanded tournament helping goal glut It is shaping up to be one of the best Golden Boot races of all time - especially as there is an extra round of matches in the enlarged event - but Messi insists a second straight title is the main thing on his mind.
"I'm just going to enjoy this moment and celebrate it with my team-mates," the man who turns 39 on Wednesday said.
"I'm making the most of the moment and I want to see how far we can go together. Today, there was that penalty, but perhaps I wouldn't have scored the other goals if it had gone in." Mbappe echoed the sentiments of his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate.
"I already knew Leo was going to score goals - he's Leo Messi, he always scores," remarked the 27-year-old, who helped his side win the 2018 trophy.
"He's the one who holds the record, I'm behind him. I'm going to keep trying to score to help my team get as far as possible.
"Of course, by scoring goals, you get closer to that sort of record. But the most important thing for me is to take my team as far as possible."
His age means Mbappe is likely to usurp his great rival in the overall World Cup scorers' list at the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
But the fact the two stars are shining so quickly and so brightly at this edition in North America appears to be connected to the decision to expand the tournament to 48 nations.
Fans and pundits would allege that some of the teams at this edition lack the quality of those who would have qualified for a traditional 32-team version.
That is giving the world's top forwards more chances to thrive.
There are also bigger gaps between games, allowing the likes of Messi and Mbappe to recover from matches better and be at their sharpest for the next encounter. (DPA)Argentina great Lionel Messi is now the outright top scorer in men's World Cup history. But France star
Kylian Mbappe is just behind him as the new format means the 2026 edition is being dominated by top stars
Source: Qatar Tribune
