Messi, Mbappé, Vinícius Jr., Haaland all down as FIFA unveils World Cup’s unexpected best striker | Football news

Argentina’s Lionel Messi trains for the FIFA World Cup soccer match Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Kansas City, Kansas (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Lionel Messi may be leading the race for the Golden Boot and continuing to make FIFA World Cup history, but the Argentina captain is not the tournament’s highest-rated attacking player after the group stage.Instead, FIFA’s official performance ranking they put Germany substitute Deniz Undav at the top of the attacking rankings, overtaking Messi by the narrowest of margins after three remarkable substitutions during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.FIFA’s official World Cup Player Power Rankings, developed with Aramco under Arsène Wenger, rates each player’s performance using advanced match data. Outfield players are awarded points out of 10 for attack, creativity and defence, while goalkeepers are assessed separately for their contribution to goalkeeping and possession.While many expected Messi, Kylian Mbappé or even Harry Kane to take the top spot after the group stage, FIFA data instead rewards efficiency and Undav’s outstanding performance from the bench proved enough to finish first.

Deniz Undav tops FIFA’s attacking rankings despite never having started a match

There are few players who have had such a dramatic impact on games with so little playing time.Undav has yet to start a game for Germany at the tournament, making only three substitute appearances for a total of just 86 minutes.

Germany’s Deniz Undav reacts after scoring during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Curacao in Houston, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Those brief cameos still produced outstanding numbers.The striker scored three goals and registered two assists, averaging one goal every 28.7 minutes and a direct goal every 17.2 minutes.His standout performance came during Germany’s convincing 7-1 win over Curaçao, where he came off the bench to score once and provide two assists in just 26 minutes.He then made a dramatic substitute appearance against Ivory Coast, including the decisive winner in the 94th minute, helping Germany secure a 2-1 victory.Those performances earned Undavo an attack rating of 8.36, narrowly ahead of Messi’s 8.34, making him FIFA’s highest-rated attacking player after the group stage despite never featuring in the starting 11.

Messi continues to make World Cup history

Despite finishing second in FIFA’s striker rankings, Messi continues to put together one of the best tournaments of his career.The Argentina captain scored six goals in three group stage games to take his World Cup tally to 19 and strengthen his position as the tournament’s leading scorer heading into the knockout rounds.During Argentina’s win over Jordan, Messi also became the first player in history to score against 13 different countries at the FIFA World Cup.According to Opta, he also became the first footballer ever to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, adding further to an already unmatched list of tournament records.His attacking rating of 8.34 would normally lead FIFA’s rankings, but Undav’s astonishing efficiency eventually pushed him into second place.

Mbappé, Vinícius and Dembélé continue the pursuit

France captain Kylian Mbappé ranks third in FIFA’s attacking rankings with a rating of 8.13, while Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior is fourth with 7.92 after an extraordinary group stage.Vinícius finished the opening phase with four goals, scoring in all three games against Morocco, Haiti and Scotland to become the first Brazilian player in 24 years to score in every World Cup group stage game.French winger Ousmane Dembélé rose to sixth place after playing one of the key games of the tournament against Norway. His first-half hat-trick, achieved within just 32 minutes, made him the first player since Oleg Salenko in 1994 to score a hat-trick in the first half of a World Cup, while also becoming the second-fastest player ever to score a World Cup hat-trick from kick-off.Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is also among the leading players after scoring four goals during his debut World Cup campaign.

The FIFA ranking measures more than goals

Unlike the Golden Boot rankings, FIFA’s official rankings assess overall performance, not just goals scored.The attacking category rewards chance quality, finishing and attacking involvement, while creativity measures passing, chance creation and progression. Defensive contribution is also included to give a bigger picture of a player’s overall impact.Elsewhere in FIFA’s positional metrics, France’s Michael Olise leads the creativity rankings with an 8.03 rating, Canada’s Luc De Fougerolles is the top-rated defender with 7.38, while Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams take the top two goalkeeper spots.As the Round of 16 begins, the battle for the tournament’s individual honors remains wide open.Messi still leads the Golden Boot race with six goals, while Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland scored four times each. France, Argentina and Mexico are also the only teams to achieve perfect records in the group stage by winning all three games, ensuring many of the tournament favorites remain firmly in contention.Whether Undav can retain the top spot in FIFA’s statistical rankings without becoming a regular starter now becomes one of the more intriguing subplots of the knockout rounds.