Messi Mbappe Haaland Different Shades Of Genius

We are in the middle of a never-before-seen race for the Golden Boot. With every game, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are finding a higher level, egged on not just by the crowd but also by the feats of the other geniuses around them.

In their team’s second-round matches, the trio scored a brace each to follow up their exploits from the first round of games. After just two matches, Messi already has five goals. Mbappe and Haaland follow closely behind with four each.

"I already knew Messi was going to keep scoring goals," Mbappe had said on Sunday. "He always does. He's ahead of me and I'm behind him. I'll keep scoring to help my national team go as far as possible."

It is too early to say whether Just Fontaine’s record of 13 goals in the FIFA World Cup—all achieved during the 1958 tournament in Sweden—will be under threat but if things keep going this way, the fans are sure in for a treat… a triple treat.

The cherry on top is how different each of them is. The contrasting styles make them a joy to watch and a study in how genius can come in so many shades. It’s really down to what one makes of it.

Messi, for instance, is the light but somehow he seems to exist in the shadows; in the blind spots, in the gaps. He drops off and then suddenly reappears, knowing just when he needs to speed up or slow down. Tracking him, as a defender, would mean constantly getting pulled out of formation and if teams want to stop him or Argentina, they would need to man-mark him out of the match. That is easier said than done because the Argentina player is getting all his smarts into play.

There was a time when Messi would run at the opposition but the star who turns 39 on Wednesday is picking his moment and doing it in some style. He almost seems re-energised this time around. To borrow from the boxing world, he seems a bit like former world champion Archie Moore.

Known as the "Old Mongoose”, he relied on profound craftiness, ring pacing, and his signature cross-guard defense to achieve massive success and longevity. His greatest move, however, was the manner in which he would end bruising rounds in his corner. The frustrated opponent would then have to walk back to his corner while Moore would simply sit on the stool.

The current version of Messi has an almost professor-like understanding of the game. He is just doing what he needs to do: walking and conserving energy but ready to ramp it up when necessary. The two goals against Austria, took his tournament-tally to a record 18, taking him past Miroslav Klose’s 16.

Mbappe has age and pace on his side. That and the desire to prove that he is the world’s best. The Real Madrid stint hasn’t been kind to him in terms of trophies but perhaps the performances here will allow the Real fans to see him in a new light. That might not be his only motivation but there is something about the World Cup that gets the best out of him.

Mbappe has now scored two or more goals in six FIFA World Cup matches - more multiple-goal games than any other player in the tournament's history. His combination of speed, virtuosity and power with both feet makes him unstoppable in a way Messi is not.

While Messi almost seems to gently crack a puzzle, Mbappe relies on different gifts to break the game open. His team of superstars rallies around him, just as Argentina does around Messi and he has the record to match.

In just 16 World Cup matches, he already has 15 goals — faster than any player in history. Messi took 27 games to reach the same tally.

Compared to Messi, who is in his sixth World Cup, and Mbappe, who is playing his third, Haaland has had a relatively late start to his World Cup career. Norway isn’t a footballing powerhouse like Argentina or France and one can’t even say whether they will qualify for the next tournament for sure but Haaland will want to make the most of his opportunity.

Haaland is probably the purest striker among the three. He operates in a place where the other two don’t often go but in front of goal, he is just as deadly. Over the last five club seasons in Europe (4 at Manchester City and one at Borussia Dortmund), the Norwegian striker has scored an incredible 228 goals in 220 matches. Now, if that won’t give you an aura of invincibility, then almost nothing would.

But for all his gifts, the 25-year-old just seems to be having a good time. The weight of expectations doesn’t seem to be stifling him and that says a lot. Just before the first game, he was spotted watching Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals and cheering on the Carolina Hurricanes. After scoring two goals against Senegal, he joined the team in their ‘Viking Row’ celebration in front of the fans.

A relaxed Haaland is a dangerous one and that is something the world is discovering. So far, we have only seen these strikers hurting other teams but Norway runs into France next and that is a game worth staying up for. What show will the duo then put on?

The tougher the opponent, the more inspired the superstar. Messi, Mbappe and Haaland are already operating at such a high level. It’ll be interesting to see how much more dazzling the show can become. For now, the world is watching in awe.