The Beautiful Game has truly delivered on its promise – delivering records by the bucketload, and some of football's greatest names have been making their mark. Lionel Messi, the master weaver of magic, has conjured up a new record for himself with an astonishing 18 World Cup goals under his belt. He now sits two clear of Miroslav Klose, a German giant who held the top spot until Messi's impressive exploits.
The Argentinian maestro has also taken centre stage in another area – penalties. With three missed so far, he may not be infallible from 12 yards, but his tally puts him at the head of the queue for most penalties taken in World Cup history. Meanwhile, other superstars are jostling for position in the Golden Boot stakes. Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland – a trio of lightning-fast scorers who will leave defenders grasping at air.
Harry Kane, England's fearless leader, is writing his own chapter in history. Alongside Gary Lineker, he now shares the record for most goals scored by an English player at the World Cup – 10 apiece. And with one more chance to shine against Ghana on Tuesday night, it remains to be seen whether Kane will usurp Lineker's tally.
Erling Haaland is making waves in Qatar, his two goals against Iraq sparking a Norwegian celebration that won't soon fade from memory. He has notched up the impressive feat of scoring a double for Norway at their first World Cup appearance since 1998 – and with more matches to come, he'll be aiming to etch his name into the country's record books.