Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring a goal against Jordan in the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Arlington, Texas, the United States, on June 27. Photo: AP/PTI
Messi bags 6th in World Cup 2026 albeit late start vs Jordan, maintains Golden Boot lead
The Argentina veteran scored his team's third goal against Jordan, becoming the first player to net in seven consecutive matches in the marquee tournament
Argentina star Lionel Messi continued his magical touch in the ongoing FIFA World Cup as he scored a goal despite stepping on to the pitch much later against Jordan in his team’s final group (J) game in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday (June 27). The defending champions won the match 3-1 and will face Cape Verde in the Round of 32 in Miami on July 3. Cristiano Ronaldo, often projected as Messi's biggest rival in contemporary football, however, has scored only two so far.
Also read: In rare protocol exit, Trump to jointly present World Cup 2026 trophy with FIFA chief
The 39-year-old’s score in the 80th minute against the debutants saw him increase the lead over his competitors in the race for the Golden Boot. Messi, who now has six goals from three matches, also owns the record of scoring in seven consecutive World Cup matches, something that has not happened before. The goal against Jordan also took his overall tally in World Cups to 19, three better than the next best, former Germany striker Miroslav Klose.
Four players nearest to Messi with 4
Messi leads four names who have scored four goals each in the tournament so far. They include Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele of France, Vinicius Junior of Brazil and Erling Haaland of Norway. All three teams have also made it to the knock-out round, which means these names would have more opportunities to equal or better the Argentina legend in this World Cup.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race: After group stage concluded on June 27
♦ Lionel Messi (Argentina) 6 goals
♦ Vinícius Junior (Brazil) 4 goals
♦ Ousmane Dembele (France) 4 goals
♦ Kylian Mbappé (France) 4 goals
♦ Erling Haaland (Norway) 4 goals
♦ Matheus Cunha (Brazil) 3 goals
♦ Jonathan David (Canada) 3 goals
♦ Deniz Undav (Germany) 3 goals
♦ Ismael Saibari (Morocco) 3 goals
♦ Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) 3 goals
♦ Elijah Just (New Zealand) 3 goals
♦ Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) 3 goals
♦ Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) 3 goals
♦ Harry Kane (England) 3 goals
♦ Yoane Wissa (DR Congo) 3 goals
Ten have scored three goals; Harry Kane joins club
The number of players who have reached three goals has gone up to 10 at the end of the group stage. On Saturday, England captain Harry Kane entered the club by scoring against Panama in his team’s 2-0 win, while Democratic Republic of Congo’s Yoane Wissa returned among goals by netting a brace against Uzbekistan, who the African side beat 3-1.
Also read: Liberals for Messi, conservatives for Ronaldo? Political views might decide loyalty, says study
The eight others are Matheus Cunha (Brazil), Jonathan David (Canada), Deniz Undav (Germany), Ismail Saibari (Morocco), Brian Brobbery (Netherlands), Johan Manzambi (Switzerland), Elijah Just (New Zealand) and Ismaila Sarr (Senegal).
Twenty-three players have scored 23 goals so far, while 105 have at least one score to their credit.
Who gets the Golden Boot?
The Golden Boot will be awarded to the player who scores the maximum goals in the tournament. If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group) shall be decisive. If names still cannot be separated, the total minutes played in the tournament will be considered, with the player who appeared for fewer minutes ranked before the others.