Messi breaks records at World Cup but must settle for second place behind surprise German in FIFA rankings
Lionel Messi scored six goals in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, breaking multiple historical records, yet the Argentine captain still finished second in the official FIFA attackers ranking. The surprising leader is German substitute Deniz Undav, who accumulated three goals and two assists in just 86 minutes of play.
Messi celebrates 39th birthday with record-breaking World Cup run
Lionel Messi marked his 39th birthday last week and immediately showed that age has done little to slow him down. The captain of the Argentine side, defending its world title, enjoyed a group stage for the history books. Despite injury concerns in the build-up to the tournament, he made his presence felt straight away with a hat-trick against Algeria. He then scored twice against Austria, becoming the highest-scoring player in World Cup history across both men's and women's competitions. In the third group match, against Jordan, Messi came off the bench and scored again. With that goal, he became the first male player ever to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches. This achievement places him ahead of legends like French great Just Fontaine and Brazilian icon Jairzinho.
FIFA ranking: Undav edges out Messi thanks to impressive efficiency
All those goals earned Messi a score of 8.34 in the official FIFA attackers ranking for the group stage—higher than virtually everyone except one. That exception is Deniz Undav. The 28-year-old German striker posted a score of 8.36, narrowly edging out Messi. Kylian Mbappé finished third with 8.13, followed by Brazil international Vinícius Júnior with 7.92. What makes Undav so remarkable is his situation within the German squad: the attacker has yet to start a single World Cup match. His three substitute appearances add up to just 86 minutes of playing time, yet in that limited window he delivered three goals and two assists. During Germany's 7-1 victory over Curaçao, he was credited with one goal and two assists in just 26 minutes. Against Ivory Coast, he scored both goals in the 2-1 win. His averages are striking: one goal every 28.7 minutes and one goal contribution every 17.2 minutes.
Undav accepts his role, Messi leads the scoring charts
Asked about his role as a substitute, Undav said: "I accept the role. If I wasn't happy, if I wasn't satisfied, then I wouldn't be here." Despite his excellent statistics, it's expected that Kai Havertz will start in the round of 16 against Paraguay, even though the Arsenal forward has failed to add to his two goals against Curaçao. The coach's decision has drawn considerable criticism. Meanwhile, Messi sits atop the scoring standings with six goals in 200 minutes of play across three matches, though he has yet to record an assist. Argentina faces Cape Verde in the round of 16, the surprise team that progressed through the group stage unbeaten.
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Source: Via Hindustan Times (GNews)
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