KANSAS CITY.- After the group stage, Lionel Messi monopolizes the spotlight World in which Kylian Mbappé and other fearsome scorers try to keep up with the Argentine genius, while waiting for the best version of Lamine Yamal.
The race for Golden Boot It will be one of the great attractions of the playoffs, but before, these have been the protagonists of the initial round.
The stars say present
Messi and Mbappé landed in the United States with the historical record of goals within reach and wasted no time.
The Argentine star, turning 39 this week, has been the absolute protagonist of the first phase with six goals in three games.
With that stratospheric streak, the Albiceleste captain left behind the German’s historical record of 16 goals Miroslav Klose and extended it for now to 19 targets.
The Frenchman Mbappé also caught Klose with the four goals he scored in the first round, the same as his compatriot Ousmane Dembelecurrent owner of Ballon d’Orthe Norwegian Erling Haaland and the Brazilian Vinicius Junior.
To put these productions in context, in Qatar 2022 Mbappé won the Golden Boot with a total of eight goals, while Messi lifted the trophy after scoring seven.
The revelations
The World Cup He also experienced other exceptional performances beyond the big names on the billboard.
Julian Quiñones He scored the first goal of the tournament and then added another goal in the exciting journey of Mexico in the group stage.
For another host, the United States, Folarin Balogun assumed the offensive stripes that were supposed to Christian Pulisic.
The Ivorian extreme Yan Diomande19, showed why there are already European giants willing to pay more than 100 million dollars, while the name of the Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi18, also resonates in all offices after his recital against Brazil.
On the South American side, the side Daniel Muñoz was the unexpected scorer of Colombia with the goals that opened the first two victories.
Furthermore, every four years, the World Cups give their moment of fame to footballers unknown to the general public. On this occasion, the ones who stood out were the goalkeepers of the smallest teams in the competition.
Eloy Roomgoalkeeper Curacaosaved 15 shots, a record in a World Cup match without extra time, in a heroic 0-0 draw against Ecuador.
Even more popularity was gained Vozinhagoalkeeper of Cape Verdethe surprise selection of the tournament and next rival of Argentina.
Forty-year-old Vozinha had 50,000 followers on Instagram when he led Cape Verde, an archipelago of 500,000 inhabitants, to draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabiaafter which it is now followed by more than 17 million.
to owe
Among the figures left in duty, Yamal stands out due to the gigantic expectations that surround him.
Limited by a muscle injury, the prodigy of Barcelona He debuted as a scorer in his first World Cup, but Spain will need his best version to compete for the title.
Cristiano Ronaldo He has two goals in his locker, but his ownership with Portugal is increasingly questioned.
Julian Alvarezthe nine for which they have auctioned real Madrid and Barcelonaarrives blank in the qualifying rounds, still unable to reduce the Argentine hyperdependence on Messi, author of six of his eight goals.
The “Spider” must take a step forward in a qualifying round that Neymarwith all its hierarchy in Brazilwill possibly start from the bench given the doubts generated by his state of form.
Among those who have already packed their bags, Federico Valverde and Son Heung-min symbolized the failures of Uruguay and South Korea to the point that their coaches removed them from the field at decisive moments.
