Records have been falling from day one for the game’s most feared forwards.

Messi now leading the all-time World Cup list has taken a lot of the headlines, and rightly so.

But he isn’t the only one who has been setting records this tournament.

Mbappe now tops France’s goalscoring charts, Haaland is Norway’s leading World Cup scorer – after just two games – while Kane has equalled Gary Lineker’s World Cup record for England.

And all of them will have their sights set on France’s Just Fontaine’s 1958 record of 13 goals scored in one tournament.

Only three players – Fontaine, Gerd Muller for Germany in 1970 and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis in 1954 – have ever hit double figures at a single World Cup.

It would not be a surprise if that select list has grown by the end of this tournament.

The new 48-team format certainly looks to have increased the potential for goals. With more lower-ranked teams, the world’s best attackers have prospered.

The World Cup winners will also have to play one more round than ever before – again increasing the chance for goals.

Former France defender Gael Clichy told BBC Sport: “Kylian Mbappe is part of the generation which [has] that fearless factor.

“I remember when I started you had to give respect to the older generation when you came in, and you were not trying to do a nutmeg to the old men.

“This generation, they have respect, but differently. Don’t talk about age, talk about performance.”

So, back to the small matter of the race for the Golden Boot.

“It’s not something I’m thinking about right now,” said Mbappe. “Leo always scores. He always has and always will.

“If I start watching him, I’ll feel like I have to do even more, so no, I don’t watch what he’s doing. I’m only thinking about helping my team – by helping the team, I score goals and get closer to that kind of level.”

Norway boss Stale Solbakken has, perhaps unsurprisingly, pushed Haaland’s cause.

“He is the best striker – he is not playing for France or Argentina, he scores for Norway. He’s scored four goals now, two braces on the biggest stage,” he said.

“It’s easier to win the Golden Boot when you play for France and Argentina, but we’ll try to give Erling more games, and more help also in the next games. So he’s on fire and I’m very happy for him that he can score on the biggest stage.”

USA striker Folarin Balogun has made a decent enough start to the tournament himself, with two goals in his first two games.

But he probably summed it up the best, when he joked: “I think it’s annoying. Seeing players like Messi, Mbappe, Haaland – they’re so inevitable. I think they’re scoring a goal a game, sometimes more.

“For me, it’s just about trying to get to that level – to be inevitable as well.”

Manchester City are expected to sign Elliot Anderson and other clubs have already been busy giving their opinions on the transfer

Manchester City have not yet been able to agree a price for Elliot Anderson with Nottingham Forest. Forest are holding out for a British record fee for the midfielder, and while the Blues recognise that they will be looking for the most favourable terms they can get in terms of how a deal can be structured.

There is still an expectation that Anderson will get the move that he wants and that City want, but there is also a World Cup going on so no great rush to get a picture of the player with Hugo Viana’s arm round him. If he is to be the first signing of the Enzo Maresca era, you probably want the new manager unveiled before then as well.

As City work on haggling for the best price, other clubs have already decided that whatever the final number is will be too expensive. It has been reported on the red side of the Manchester Evening News that a total package of over £120m ‘is considered too high by those in charge of recruitment at Old Trafford and they have no interest in entering a bidding war’.

There will be people at United paid very well to come to that opinion, and it is of course one they are entitled to. The same goes for unnamed Premier League clubs who are reported in the Telegraph as fearing that City buying Anderson will inflate the transfer market.

The answer to both of those, to quote an infamous Premier League transfer saga, might be to ask what is being smoked at Old Trafford and other boardrooms in the country if Anderson’s fee is suddenly seen as so outrageous. It is naive in the extreme if United to have held an interest in Anderson for months without acknowledging what ballpark you would need to be in to buy one of the best midfielders in the league last season.

It is one thing to decide that Anderson at £120m is too expensive, but with United looking at West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes with a price tag of £80m, the pricier signing could end up being much better value. The opposite could also happen, but the point is that cost is determined by how much the player improves their team rather than simply what they cost.

Just as transfers don’t happen in a vacuum, it is remarkable to think how Anderson’s price could inflate a market. It is three years since Arsenal signed Declan Rice for £105m in a similar move that has paid off handsomely for them, and just the one since Liverpool spent £116m on a Leverkusen midfielder who did very little to justify his price while getting a fraction of the scrutiny that Jack Grealish (a £100m player in 2022) got for his move.

Perhaps those clubs worried about inflation are open to certain players being in the top price bracket but just not Anderson. When you see how well the Forest midfielder did last season and all the areas where he excelled, there certainly wasn’t a bracket of player above him in the Premier League.

Surely everybody has now moved on from the old feeling that you don’t pay that sort of money for a midfielder who doesn’t score often, given Rodri won the Ballon d’Or two years ago, Rice has become such a leader with England and nobody leaves left-backs in the changing room any more.

The reasons for other clubs not going for Anderson should have given City pause for thought. If everybody else in your field is coming up with a different answer, it is worth going through your working out again.

In this case though, it is hard to see any serious analysis of the player or the transfer market in the criticism of Anderson’s price. City will pay roughly the going rate having won the battle to convince the player to sign, and next season and beyond will judge how cheap or expensive that turns out to be.

However much unknown there is written into the transfer, there is enough evidence to mean that the dissenting voices coming out before City had even agreed the deal will delight the recruitment team at the Etihad. If other clubs are already trying to take the high ground in not signing Anderson, City can be reassured they are onto something if and when they do get a deal over the line.

Manchester United face the possibility of being forced to release Marcus Rashford from his contract this summer following a change to players’ rights laws

Amid the uncertainty over Marcus Rashford‘s future at Old Trafford, there is a chance Manchester United may be forced to release their star. That’s after a change to football regulations, which could have landed Ruben Amorim in hot water.

Rashford, 28, concluded a highly profitable season-long loan at Barcelona, where he won La Liga while contributing 14 goals and 14 assists. However, Los Cules have made it known they won’t be signing the forward permanently after recruiting his England team-mate, Anthony Gordon, in a £70million move instead.

That leaves Rashford at something of a loose end as he prepares to return to United once World Cup 2026 is over. However, Michael Carrick won’t be able to follow in Amorim’s footsteps with one move in particular if his plan is to move Rashford on.

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It was around 12 months ago that Rashford was named as part of Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ at Old Trafford. The title was given to a group of players the ex-United boss wanted to get rid, so he made them train separately from the rest of the main squad.

That tactic worked from a logistical point of view as fellow bomb squad members Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony each moved on. However, exiling players in such a manner could come at a hefty cost in future.

FIFA recently announced a memorandum of understanding in collaboration with players’ union Fifpro. The change means any player exiled from the main squad can file a breach-of-contract claim and demand they be released as a result.

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A successful claim would also oblige the club in question to pay up the remainder of said player’s contract. In Rashford’s case, that would stack up to the tune of around £30m given he has two years remaining on his £300,000-a-week deal at Old Trafford.

Needless to say that’s not the kind of amount United can afford to give up for nothing this summer. And it only further encourages Carrick to try and bring Rashford back into the fold if a transfer away can’t be agreed.

The FIFA ruling is designed to protect players from being segregated from the rest of their squad when a manager isn’t happy. Forcing players to train in isolation may be effective in terms of getting them to depart but was found to be abusive in nature.

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Premier League icon Alan Shearer recently voiced his opinion that Carrick should do all in his power to move the player on this summer. The Newcastle legend believes “too much may have gone on” behind the scenes for things to be salvaged at United.

However, in the event Rashford does find himself as something of a fifth wheel at United, he’ll still be a part of the squad. Even if that’s not his nor the manager’s preference ahead of what may be an awkward post-World Cup reunion.

Egypt’s players during a training session. (AP Photo)

Egypt’s preparations for their decisive FIFA World Cup Group G clash against Iran have been disrupted after local security authorities rejected a request to allow the squad to travel directly from Vancouver to Seattle, according to a Reuters report.The decision comes just days after Egypt celebrated a landmark moment in their football history, securing their first-ever World Cup victory with a commanding 3-1 comeback win over New Zealand at BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday.The team had planned to move key players directly to Seattle following the match as part of an effort to streamline travel ahead of Friday’s crucial fixture. However, that request was denied, forcing the squad to revise its logistical arrangements.

Travel plan rejected by authorities

“The security authorities refused the team’s request to stay in the city of Seattle as planned after the New Zealand match in the World Cup, and therefore the team’s delegation will return to the city of Spokane,” Hossam said in a statement issued by the Egyptian FA, as quoted by Reuters.Instead of going to Seattle, Egypt will now return to its training base in Spokane — approximately 280 miles away — before making the journey back for the Iran match.The adjustment adds an extra layer of travel fatigue ahead of a high-pressure encounter that could decide qualification for the Round of 32.

Historic win overshadowed by logistical challenge

Egypt’s travel issue comes on the heels of a dramatic performance against New Zealand, where they overturned an early deficit to claim a landmark victory.New Zealand started brightly and took the lead through Finn Surman, who headed home from a Tim Payne corner after early pressure. Egypt, however, gradually grew into the contest, with Mohamed Marmoush and Mohamed Salah both going close before halftime.The breakthrough arrived just before the hour mark when Mostafa Ziko levelled with a close-range header from Mohamed Hany’s cross. Buoyed by the equaliser, Egypt took control as Salah finished clinically after a sharp exchange inside the box, before Trezeguet sealed the win with a header from a corner in the 82nd minute.The result moved Egypt close to qualification from Group G, but their build-up to the Iran clash is now complicated by unexpected travel disruption rather than momentum alone.

NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the two-match T20I series against Ireland starting June 26 in Belfast. It is learnt that Reddy’s quadriceps injury, which kept him out of the 2nd ODI against Afghanistan in Lucknow, has flared up and requires attention before he can take the field again. The exact timeline for his return is unknown at this stage.Reddy was also picked for the ODIs and T20Is against England; it remains to be seen whether the injury rules him out of that series too. As things stand, he will not travel with the team to Ireland.The Indian team will leave in batches for the Ireland series. One batch, featuring Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Morne Morkel and T Dilip, left today from Chennai while some players are scheduled to leave tomorrow from Mumbai.If the selectors name a replacement for Reddy, Suryansh Shedge is the front-runner due to his impressive recent outings for India A in Sri Lanka.Reddy was also picked for the ODIs and T20Is against England; it is highly unlikely that he will feature in that series. For now, he will not travel with the team to Ireland.The 23-year-old has played 10 Tests, 6 ODIs and 4 T20Is for India so far. During the Afghanistan series, he had played two ODIs while missing the second game in Lucknow.India’s updated squad for Ireland T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prasidh Krishna.Schedule of Ireland’s T20I series against India:First T20I: June 26, 2026, Belfast, 1:30pm Second T20I: June 28, 2026, Belfast, 1:30pm*All timings in local time

The race for the golden boot at World Cup 2026 is hurtling towards an epic contest during the knockout stage with Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all in contention.

The stars continue to dominate at this tournament, none more so than Messi after backing up a hat-trick against Algeria with a double against Austria to highlight one of his greatest traits after a penalty miss.

But Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland followed the Argentine with doubles of their own on a dramatic day at the World Cup, with the France captain enduring nearly a two hour delay due to adverse weather.

Haaland has Norway primed for the knockouts, too, with his nation producing another iconic World Cup celebration, while Harry Kane, Deniz Undav and Vinicius Jr could all still challenge.

If players are tied for goals, the number of assists will determine who ranks higher. If there is still a tie, it comes down to minutes played and the goals-per-minute ratio. Here are the latest 2026 World Cup golden boot standings:

World Cup golden boot standings

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina), 5 goals

= 2. Kylian Mbappe (France), 4 goals

= 2. Erling Haaland (Norway), 4 goals

4. Deniz Undav (Germany), 3 goals (2 assists)

5. Jonathan David (Canada), 3 goals

= 6. Vinicius Jr (Brazil), 2 goals (1 assist)

= 6. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), 2 goals (1 assist)

= 6. Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands), 2 goals (1 assist)

= 6. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), 2 goals (1 assist)

= 6. Maximiliano Araujo (Uruguay), 2 goals (1 assist)

= 6. Ayase Ueda (Japan), 2 goals (1 assist)

= 12. Harry Kane (England), 2 goals

= 12. Matheus Cunha (Brazil), 2 goals

= 12. Yasin Ayari (Sweden), 2 goals

= 12. Elijah Just (New Zealand), 2 goals

= 12. Kai Havertz (Germany), 2 goals

= 12. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland), 2 goals

= 12. Cyle Larin (Canada), 2 goals

= 12. Ismael Saibari (Morocco), 2 goals

= 12. Folarin Balogun (USA), 2 goals

= 12. Brian Brobbey (Netherlands), 2 goals

= 12. Daichi Kamada (Japan), 2 goals

= 12. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), 2 goals

Erling Haaland scored his second World Cup 2026 brace in a row as Norway beat Senegal 3-2 on Monday to punch their ticket to the last 32.

Norway substitute Marcus Holmgren Pedersen struck late in the first half in New Jersey before Haaland doubled the lead shortly after the break.

Ismaila Sarr cut the deficit for Senegal, only for Haaland to punish more slack defending as Norway moved through to the knockout rounds with a game to spare despite a late consolation from Sarr.

Manchester City forward Haaland now has four goals in two games at the tournament, hot on the heels of Lionel Messi‘s double earlier in the day which carried him to a record 18 World Cup goals. Not to be outdone, Kylian Mbappe scored another brace too as France beat Iraq 3-0.

Norway have lost only once in their last 18 matches and will take on France in a compelling battle for top spot in the group in Boston on Friday.

Senegal must beat Iraq, who are also without a point, in their final game to stand a chance of avoiding an early exit.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: France-Iraq match suspended as stadium is evacuated due to thunderstorms

Led by the unstoppable Haaland, who increased his astonishing international goals tally to 59 in 52 games, Norway recorded back-to-back wins at the World Cup for the first time.

They added weight to the belief they can do serious damage at these finals with a dominant display against a Senegal side that paid heavily for their errors.

Norway quickly set the tone as Kristoffer Ajer’s header forced Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy into a terrific save with his legs at a corner, but they lost full-back Julian Ryerson to injury early on.

Captain Martin Odegaard skied over an inviting cut-back from the right for Norway, as Nicolas Jackson looked Senegal’s most dangerous threat.

Mendy again came to Senegal’s rescue with a superb block to deny Odegaard after Haaland cushioned down Antonio Nusa’s chipped cross into the box.

Tense finish

But Mendy allowed Pedersen’s low drive to creep under him after a dreadful mistake from skipper Kalidou Koulibaly gave the ball to the replacement right-back on the edge of the box.

Haaland rolled against the post from a tight angle after Mendy got in a tangle, but he made amends three minutes into the second half as Norway sliced Senegal apart on the counter-attack.

Odegaard surged upfield and slid a pass through to Haaland, who buried an emphatic finish past Mendy to add to the two goals he scored in Norway’s opening 4-1 victory over Iraq.

Senegal clawed their way back as Sarr showed great composure to poke home after tumbling to the ground following a clever flick into the area by Sadio Mane.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: Mbappé stars as France breeze past Iraq despite weather chaos

However, Koulibaly was at fault once more, failing to clear as Haaland steered a volley in off the crossbar from Patrick Berg’s cross, delighting Norwegian fans who provided a colourful backdrop with their viral rowing chant.

Mory Diaw came on for the injured Mendy in goal, but only a headed goalline clearance from Pathe Ciss prevented Oscar Bobb from netting Norway’s fourth.

Sarr’s second of the night set up a tense finish, but Norway held on to join France in the next round and leave Senegal’s hopes hanging by a thread.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Lionel Messi said he was “very angry” with himself for missing a penalty — and channelled it into scoring twice to make World Cup history on Monday. The Argentina captain hit a brace to give the holders a 2-0 win over Austria in Texas, his first goal making him the leading scorer ever at the World Cup with 17 goals. He added number 18 in second-half injury time to propel Argentina into the last 32. But it might have been even better for the player widely regarded as the best in the history of football, having dragged a weak penalty wide early on with the game at 0-0.

“Today there was a moment where I was very angry about the penalty because I missed and I struck it very badly,” said Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday. “Luckily we were able to turn the situation around, take the lead and take three very important points.”

For all his brilliance, Messi — who turns 39 on Wednesday — is surprisingly poor from the penalty spot by his standards. He also saw his spot-kick saved by Wojciech Szczesny in a 2-0 win over Poland at the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina went on to be champions, and missed at the 2018 tournament.

Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami in the MLS, did not commit until late on to playing his sixth World Cup. He also came into the tournament under a small injury cloud over his hamstring. But he swiftly wiped away any doubts, scoring a hat-trick to dismantle Algeria 3-0 in Argentina’s opening match.

After fluffing his penalty, Messi swept home on 38 minutes to trigger pandemonium at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Argentina failed to really build on that in the second half.

Austria, who beat debutants Jordan 3-1 last time out, proved stubborn opponents and even had a couple of glimpses at goal themselves before Messi’s second.

“A very hard victory, the truth is that we knew that it was going to be a match of great intensity,” said Messi. He added: “This World Cup is all very even games… no one gives anything away, today there was also a lot of intensity.”

Argentina will go through as Group J winners if Jordan do not beat Algeria. The winners of Group J face the runners-up in Group H. Second in that group is currently Uruguay.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni could now choose to rest his talisman for the match against Jordan on Saturday. Messi said they want to go through with the maximum nine points. “We’re Argentina and we’re always going to look to win against any opponent,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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