Messi, Mbappé, and Haaland Rule America: The Three Stars of World Cup Day 6
On Day 5 of the World Cup, it was all about the unknowns and underdogs.
Cape Verde 40-year-old goalie Josimar “Vozinha” Dias gained 10 million followers on social media in 24 hours after stonewalling the European champions Spain in Atlanta. Elijah Just of New Zealand scored a brace near Hollywood in an action-packed game against Iran. Saudi Arabia drew Uruguay in Florida, as the entire venue was clad in bright blue and white.
Tuesday, though, it was all about the superstars.
Three of the best players in the world took the stage across the United States, and each of them put on a show for the crowd.
But how do I rank them, though? Let’s find out.
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Bronze Star: Kylian Mbappé (France)
Kylian Mbappé might be the greatest World Cup player in history, looking for his third straight trip to a World Cup Final, and he could only finish in third on Tuesday with two amazing goals against Senegal. That’s how stiff the competition today was, and the fact that I could have easily given the spot to Michael Olise, who didn’t score but was outstanding with his distribution and piloting the attack for France.
He started slow in the first half, but his connection with Olise in the second half showcased why France can flip the switch maybe unlike any other team in the competition.
Silver Star: Erling Haaland (Norway)
The second goal of the day for the 6-foot-5 viking came simply because the opposing goalie from Iraq flinched with Haaland running straight at him for a loose ball. The ball just finds Haaland, regardless of where it bounces, and he knows how to put the ball into the back of the net. One second, Norway could look asleep at the wheel, and the next you see a giant red flash race up field and there’s a goal.
While Norway’s defense as a whole needs to be better if they truly want to be dark horses this tournament, Haaland and the rest of the team are primed to score a lot of goals before they set sail back home.
Gold Star: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Messi watched both Mbappé and Haaland star respectively before he walked out of the tunnel at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for his first steps as a defending World Cup champion.
And what did he do?
He scored a hat trick, somehow surpassing the two best scorers of their generation, proving that even though he is 38-year-old, still no one is better. He tied Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the most goals in World Cup history at 16, and he has a golden opportunity in one of his next two games against either Austria or Jordan to break it.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 2:55 AM.