Kylian Mbappe joined Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after scoring twice in France's convincing 3-0 victory over Sweden in their Round of 32 clash at the New York-New Jersey Stadium today.

Relive Brazil's thrilling victory over Scotland at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, where Vinicius' disallowed hat-trick sparkled a controversial VAR debate, proving how modern football continues to use Lionel Messi as its ultimate benchmark.

The online critique that a better keeper stops the shot fundamentally barks up the wrong tree.

He came on for a cameo appearance, playing just 36 minutes. Yet that was all he needed to steal the spotlight.

"It's a little bit of an uncomfortable situation when people ask me that and I don't know what to say," Scaloni said when quizzed once again about Messi's performance.

With Argentina beating Jordan 3-1 and Algeria and Austria playing out a dramatic 3-3 draw in the final Group J matches, the group stage of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 came to an end on Sunday.

Captain Lionel Messi came off the bench to score from a trademark freekick as defending champions Argentina beat Jordan 3-1 in their dead-rubber Group J World Cup clash in Dallas on Sunday, with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner becoming the first player to score in seven successive World Cup matches.

Captain Lionel Messi came off the bench soon after Argentina conceded for the first time at this World Cup, with Jordan pulling one back to make it 2-1 in a dead-rubber Group J clash in Dallas on Sunday.

If there were any doubts that Argentina lacked a goalscorer other than the great Lionel Messi, those were put to rest when the defending champions took the lead through a Giovani Lo Celso freekick in their dead-rubber Group J clash against Jordan in Dallas on Sunday.

Following a hectic 17-day schedule featuring 72 group-stage matches, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is finally entering its business end, as hosts Canada take on South Africa in the opening Round of 32 match at Los Angeles Stadium tonight. 

Lionel Messi starts on the bench as Argentina take on Jordan in their final Group J match at Dallas Stadium on Saturday with coach Lionel Scaloni making nine changes to the side that defeated Austria in their previous match.

According to Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports, Scaloni is set to hand World Cup debuts to several squad members while resting regular starters ahead of the round-of-32 clash next Saturday in Miami.

Medina also recalled his childhood in Villa Fiorito, the Buenos Aires neighbourhood where Diego Maradona grew up

Brazil have lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over the controversial decision to disallow one of Vinicius Junior's goals in their 3-0 victory over Scotland, citing a Lionel Messi goal as an example of inconsistent VAR decisions, according to a report by TyC Sports.

From Lionel Messi rewriting history at 39 to Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland relentlessly closing in, while Vinícius Junior leads Brazil’s charge with flair and authority, the battle to finish as the tournament’s top scorer is fast becoming one of the World Cup’s defining subplots.

Lionel Messi may be making his case as football's greatest of all time with a stunning World Cup run so far, but in Kansas City, another Messi, a goat, is winning fans by munching weeds along the Missouri River.

As football fans around the world celebrate Lionel Messi’s birthday today, actor Chanchal Chowdhury has joined the tributes in his own artistic way. A lifelong admirer of the Argentine footballer, the actor recently shared a hand-drawn portrait of Messi on social media, drawing praise from fans.

And decades later, that mischievous prince remains. He plays with the singular, pure focus of a child with a ball at his feet, bringing an ethereal beauty and grace back to a hyper-mechanised sport.

Ronaldo no longer covers every blade of grass, and there’s no need to anyway. He has grown into a penalty-box predator with the same singular dedication that defined every phase of his career. His role in this Portugal side is different, more conservative, more positional, but vital nevertheless.

Lionel Messi looked down, a grin widening into a grimace. One wonders whether there was even a smirk after the miss. Nowhere close to what could be termed a good penalty, he wore the look of a man who knew he was overthinking.