Washington: Messi sits at the top of the Golden Boot standings with six goals from just three matches, continuing his sensational form as Argentina chase World Cup glory.

Hot on his heels are France’s Kylian Mbappe, Norway’s Erling Haaland and Brazil’s Vinicius Jr, with each star netting four goals after producing match-winning doubles for their respective teams.

France winger Ousmane Dembele has also surged into contention after a stunning first-half hat-trick against Norway, taking his tournament tally to four goals, having earlier found the net against Iraq.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has finally opened his account in the competition, while England captain Harry Kane also remains firmly in the hunt as the race for the prestigious Golden Boot gathers momentum.

The battle for the tournament’s highest individual scoring honour is shaping up to be one of the most exciting storylines of the World Cup, with several of the game’s biggest names separated by just a few goals.

Attention is also turning to one of football’s oldest World Cup records. The legendary Just Fontaine’s tally of 13 goals, scored during the 1958 tournament, remains the highest by a player in a single World Cup, but with several prolific forwards in red-hot form, the historic mark is once again under threat.