World Cup 2026 Monday takeaways: Lionel Messi achieves GOAT status, but Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland aren't far behind

Messi might be the greatest of all time, but he remains as relatable as ever. When asked which World Cup goal was his favorite after breaking the record, Messi shook his head. 

"I don't know," he said. "I don't remember. I'm tired." Him and us both. 

Argentina 2-0 Austria

Mbappé braved the elements to stay on Messi's tail

Messi might've just broken the all-time World Cup goalscoring record, but incredibly, his new tally isn't safe: French attacker Kylian Mbappé is hot on his heels. His two goals against Iraq in France's 3-0 win brought him to 16 goals from 16 games across three World Cups, level with Klose's previous record and just two shy of Messi's new one.

Mbappé's show against Iraq came in remarkable circumstances. It was the first game of this World Cup to get interrupted by the East Coast's famous summer thunderstorms, and the whole affair paused for two hours at halftime to allow lightning to pass through the area. Mbappé and his teammates wound up battling through rainfall that can only be described as biblical, but they kept their composure all the same. France 3-0 Iraq

Haaland walked the walk, but refused to talk the talk

Norway entered this tournament as a dark horse: talented enough to raise expectations but inexperienced enough to raise eyebrows. It's set to leave the group stage as the real thing. Two wins from two games have put Norway neck and neck with France in one of the World Cup's most difficult groups, and Manchester City attacker Erling Haaland has been the architect of all that success.

Haaland scored twice in Norway's Matchday 2 clash with Senegal to bring his overall World Cup tally to 4. (If he continues at this pace, he'll catch Messi's all-time scoring record in nine games flat.) His team is set to battle Mbappé's France on Matchday 3 to close out the group stage, with the winner advancing to the knockout rounds in first place. When asked about Norway's chances in that headlining match, though, Haaland deferred to the two-time World Cup champs. 

 Norway 3-2 Senegal

The World Cup will continue on Tuesday, Jun. 23, with Portugal taking on Uzbekistan, England taking on Ghana, Panama taking on Croatia and Colombia taking on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These four matches will close out Matchday 2 of the group stage.