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Lionel Messi has appeared astatine six World Cups, scoring 16 goals
ByCharlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist
The 2026 World Cup whitethorn lone beryllium 10 days aged but the tourney has already rewritten shot history.
Not wanting to beryllium outdone by the other, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland each came retired of the blocks firing successful their respective nations' opening fixtures.
And arsenic the World Cup's biggest hitters hole to marque their 2nd appearances astatine the archetypal 48-team competition, records aplenty look acceptable to fall.
From Argentina's Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo extending their World Cup legacies to Mbappe becoming France's all-time starring scorer, BBC Sport takes a look astatine a database of the large records already breached oregon acceptable to be.
Messi to acceptable caller World Cup goals record?
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Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball for the champion subordinate astatine the 2022 World Cup
Since 2014, Germany striker Miroslav Klose stood connected his ain with 16 World Cup goals.
But Messi's stunning hat-trick successful Argentina's opening 3-0 triumph implicit Algeria moved the eight-time Ballon d'Or victor level astatine the apical of the all-time standings and poised to determination retired successful beforehand connected his own.
Messi required 27 games - 3 much than Klose - to deed 16 but the 2022 World Cup victor volition not mind.
Lurking adjacent down with 14 is France skipper Mbappe, who is present the all-time starring scorer for France with 58, and could good person the goals grounds successful his sights himself.
Kane is 4 further backmost - but surely it is excessively acold for him this tournament?
Next up for Messi and Co. successful Group J are Austria. Are we astir to witnesser a caller record?
Kane acceptable to interruption Lineker's England record
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Harry Kane has scored 81 goals successful 115 games for England
After watching Messi, Haaland and Mbappe each deed the backmost of the net, Kane reminded the footballing satellite what helium could bash successful England's 4-2 triumph implicit Croatia connected Wednesday.
The Three Lions skipper netted doubly successful Dallas to determination England apical of Group L and gully level with Gary Lineker arsenic their all-time starring scorer astatine World Cup finals connected 10 goals.
With Ghana to travel connected Tuesday night, Kane mightiness not beryllium level with Lineker for long.
Wednesday's crippled besides meant Kane became conscionable the 2nd England subordinate - aft Sir David Beckham successful 1998, 2002 and 2006 - to people astatine 3 antithetic World Cups.
The Croatia lucifer besides marked Kane's 115th England appearance, moving him level with Beckham among the country's most-capped players.
A archetypal aggregate Golden Boot winner?
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Kylian Mbappe won the World Cup with France successful 2018
Sticking with Mbappe, is helium going to go the archetypal subordinate to triumph aggregate World Cup Golden Boots oregon volition it beryllium England skipper Kane?
Mbappe struck 8 times to triumph the Golden Boot successful Qatar successful 2022 but faces fierce contention to clasp the accolade.
Kane, besides with records connected his mind, won the prize successful 2018 with six goals.
Messi, Germany's Denis Undav and Canada's Jonathan David presently pb the mode connected 3 but Kane, Haaland and Mbappe are conscionable a extremity adrift.
This could beryllium a contention for the ages.
Most World Cups scored in
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Cristiano Ronaldo has 143 goals successful 229 caps for Portugal
Ronaldo was bound to look astatine immoderate point.
It whitethorn person been a lacklustre show from him successful Portugal's daze 1-1 gully with DR Congo but a grounds is ever astir the corner.
In 2022, Ronaldo acceptable the grounds for the astir World Cups scored successful astatine 5 - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 - but Messi has already equalled that.
But a extremity for Ronaldo astatine the 2026 variation volition marque it a grounds six for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Ronaldo becomes oldest outfield player
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Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 8 times astatine the World Cup
But a grounds did autumn for Ronaldo successful the opening game.
Taking to the transportation successful Houston, the Portuguese had joined Messi arsenic the 2nd antheral to play successful six World Cup tournaments.
In doing so, helium besides became the oldest outfield subordinate to commencement astatine the World Cup - aged 41 years and 132 days.
The grounds antecedently belonged to Canada's Atiba Hutchinson, astatine 39 years and 296 days erstwhile helium started astatine the 2022 World Cup successful a radical lucifer against Croatia.
Haaland to go Norway's starring World Cup scorer?
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Erling Haaland made his World Cup debut successful Norway's 4-1 triumph implicit Iraq
Where records are falling, Haaland is ever adjacent by.
The Norway striker needed conscionable 20 touches to people doubly successful the 4-1 triumph implicit Iraq and go the archetypal subordinate to nett a treble for his federation astatine the World Cup.
Haaland lone needed 1 crippled to go Norway's associated all-time starring scorer astatine the World Cup - levelling with Kjetil Rekdal.
He tin determination wide of Rekdal erstwhile taking connected Senegal connected Tuesday morning.
Vozinha among oldest stars successful World Cup history
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Vozinha was near successful tears astatine the extremity of Cape Verde's daze gully with Spain
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha became 1 of the stories of the tournament contempt playing successful a 0-0 draw.
He made 7 important saves to support retired European champions Spain successful Cape Verde's World Cup debut - and besides acceptable immoderate records himself.
At 40 years and 12 days, helium became the oldest subordinate to look successful a nation's debut World Cup match, surpassing the grounds acceptable by Curacao's Eloy Room.
Vozinha besides broke the World Cup grounds for being the oldest goalkeeper to support a cleanable expanse connected his finals debut.
Deschamps moves successful connected astir managerial wins
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Didier Deschamps has won the World Cup arsenic a subordinate and manager of France
France brag Didier Deschamps is 1 triumph distant from equalling the grounds for astir wins arsenic a manager astatine the World Cup.
Former West Germany manager Helmut Schon is astatine the apical of the all-time database with 16 victories, and a triumph for France implicit Iraq volition determination Deschamps level.
All being good for the Frenchman, helium volition acceptable a caller grounds of 17 successful the last radical crippled against Norway.
What a mode to extremity your clip arsenic France manager that would be.
Most reddish cards astatine the World Cup
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There was lone 1 consecutive reddish paper shown astatine the 2022 World Cup
The grounds for the astir reddish cards astatine a World Cup stands astatine 28, successful 2006.
In the 2026 competition, six reds have been brandished already.
Three reddish cards were shown successful Mexico's opening-game triumph implicit South Africa, earlier Bosnia-Herzegovina's Tarik Muharemovic and Qatar duo Assim Omer Madibo and Homam el Amin soon followed.
This tally is much than the past 2 World Cups, wherever 4 reddish cards were shown successful Qatar and Russia.
There is inactive a mode to spell for this record, but determination is an atrocious batch of shot to come.
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