Los Angeles – DPA:
The 2026 FIFA World Cup took just a few days to confirm that the current edition could be the scene of one of the most exciting conflicts in the history of the game.
While Lionel Messi is entering his final chapters with the Argentine national team, Kylian Mbappe continues to establish himself as heir to the global throne, while Erling Haaland appears for the first time on the World Cup stage, searching for a place among the greats.
The opening round of the tournament witnessed a remarkable brilliance by the trio, as each of them recorded an exceptional mark that made attention turn to them as the most prominent headliners of the current edition of the World Cup.
Messi…the legend that refuses to stop
At 39, Lionel Messi continues to prove that age is just a number when it comes to exceptional talent.
The Argentine national team captain entered the match against Algeria carrying the historical burden of playing the 200th international match wearing the “Tango Dancers” shirt, but he came out of it with more than just a new number in his records.
Messi scored a complete hat-trick, leading Argentina to a 3-0 victory, confirming that the defending champion still possesses the most dangerous weapon in the tournament. The “hat-trick” was not just a contribution to winning the first three points, but rather carried with it a group of historical achievements.
Messi became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the history of the World Cup, and he also continued to chase records in the tournament, which witnessed the greatest moments of his career when he led Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The veteran Argentine is competing in his sixth edition of the World Cup, which is an exceptional achievement that reflects the amount of continuity he enjoys. While many expected his presence in the United States, Canada and Mexico to be symbolic, his first match confirmed that Messi is still capable of making a difference in the biggest forums.
Most importantly, the Argentine captain sent a clear message to the competitors that the dream of retaining the title still exists, and that he did not reach the World Cup only to celebrate his career, but to compete for a new cup to be added to his coffers.
Mbappe.. the new king of the Roosters
If Messi represents the glorious past and the continuing present, Kylian Mbappe embodies the future that has already become a reality.
The French star started the tournament in an ideal way when he led his country to victory over Senegal by three goals to one, scoring two goals that once again confirmed his status as one of the best players in the world.
But the importance of the bilateral was not limited to the result only, but rather it carried with it new historical achievements. Mbappe became the all-time top scorer for the French national team after raising his tally to 58 goals, surpassing the number held by Olivier Giroud.
He also became France’s all-time leading scorer in the World Cup, surpassing the legendary Just Fontaine, who has one of the most famous records in the history of the tournament.
What is interesting about Mbappe’s story is that these achievements come at a time when the player is still only twenty-seven years old. Which means that he has many years to continue breaking records.
Despite the great pressure he experienced during the last two seasons with Real Madrid, and the criticism he faced due to the team’s decline in results, Mbappe proved once again that the French national team represents the ideal environment to show the best version of itself.
Since his first appearance in the “Roosters” shirt in 2017, the player has transformed from a promising talent into a national team captain, a world champion and a historic goalscorer, and today he has become the undisputed first face of French football.
It seems that Mbappe entered the 2026 World Cup with a clear goal, not only to lead France to the title, but to move closer to the throne of the World Cup’s all-time top scorers.
Haaland… finally on the world stage
In contrast to Messi and Mbappe, Erling Haaland’s appearance in the World Cup came late, as one of the most prolific strikers in modern football was forced to wait many years due to the failure of the Norwegian national team to qualify for major tournaments. But when the opportunity finally came, he made the best of it.
In the opening match against Iraq, Haaland scored two goals and assisted another goal, leading Norway to a great victory by four goals to one.
The first goal had great moral value, as it ended a Norwegian goal drought in the World Cup that had lasted for nearly three decades, since the team’s last participation in the 1998 World Cup in France.
With this performance, the Manchester City striker confirmed that he does not need time to adapt to the atmosphere of the largest tournament in the world.
Haaland enters the current World Cup carrying the hopes of an entire people. Norway has a golden generation that includes prominent names such as Martin Odegaard, Alexander Sorloth and Antonio Nosa, but all eyes are on the giant striker who is accustomed to breaking records in the English Premier League and the Champions League.
After years of watching other stars shine on the World Cup stage, it seems that Haaland has decided to write his own story this time.
Clash of stars
What makes the brilliance of Messi, Mbappe and Haaland even more exciting is that each one of them represents a different stage in the development of modern football.
Messi is a symbol of the golden generation that dominated the game for more than 15 years, achieving all that can be achieved in terms of individual and team titles.
Mbappe is the star who has already taken over the banner, and has become the most prominent face of world football in recent years.
As for Haaland, he is the new force seeking to compete with everyone at the top and create its own era.
In the first round of the 2026 World Cup, the three succeeded in completely stealing the spotlight. Messi scored a hat-trick, Mbappe scored a historic double, and Haaland opened his career with two goals and two assists.
It was not just numbers, but rather clear messages that the current tournament may turn into an arena for direct competition between three of the game’s greatest stars.
World Cup of Big Stars
Throughout the history of the World Cup, each edition has been associated with a star or group of stars who have created its own story.
In the 2026 World Cup, it seems that the story has already begun with Messi, Mbappe and Haaland.
The former is looking for a perfect end to his legendary career by retaining the world title. The second seeks to return France to the podium and confirm his right to the title of best player in the world. As for the third, he dreams of turning his first appearance into a springboard towards the international glory that he missed for so long.
As the tournament continues, attention will be on this trio more than ever. Every goal Messi scores may be a new step in a legendary journey that is approaching its end, and every match for Mbappe may bring him closer to breaking more records, while Haaland has a golden opportunity to impose himself on the biggest football stage the game has ever known.
