Messi, Mbappé, Vinícius Jr., Haaland all beat as FIFA unveils unexpected best attacker at World Cup | Football News:

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

Lionel Messi may be leading the race for the Golden Boot and continuing to rewrite FIFA World Cup history, but the Argentina captain was not the tournament’s highest-rated attacking player after the group stage.However, The official FIFA performance rankings: put Germany substitute Deniz Undav at the top of the attacking charts, surpassing Messi by the narrowest of margins after three outstanding substitute appearances during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.The official FIFA World Cup player power rankings, developed with Aramco under the guidance of Arsène Wenger, evaluate each player’s performance using advanced match data. Outfield players receive points out of 10 across attack, creativity and defense, while goalkeepers are assessed separately for their contributions in guarding and possession.While many expected Messi, Kylian Mbappé or even Harry Kane to occupy the top spot after the group stage, FIFA data instead rewarded efficiency, with Undav’s incredible impact from the bench proving enough to finish first.

Deniz Undav topped FIFA’s attacking rankings despite never starting a match

Few players have influenced matches so much in so little playing time.Undav has yet to start a game for Germany at the tournament, making just three substitute appearances in a total of 86 minutes.

Deniz Undav of Germany 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)

However, those short cameos generated amazing numbers.The striker scored three goals and provided two assists, averaging a goal every 28.7 minutes and a direct goal contribution every 17.2 minutes.His standout performance came during Germany’s 7-1 win over Curaçao, where he came off the bench to score once and register two assists in just 26 minutes.He followed that up by scoring a dramatic substitute brace against the Ivory Coast, including the decisive winner in the 94th minute, helping Germany secure a 2-1 victory.Those performances earned Undav an attacking rating of 8.36, better than Messi’s 8.34, making him FIFA’s highest-rated attacking player after the group stage despite not being in the starting XI.

Messi continues to rewrite World Cup history

Although he finished second in FIFA’s attacking rankings, Messi went on to have one of the best tournaments of his career.The Argentina captain scored six goals in three group stage matches, extending his all-time World Cup goals tally to 19 and cementing his position as the tournament’s top scorer heading into the knockout rounds.During Argentina’s victory over Jordan, Messi also became the first player in history to score against 13 different nations at the FIFA World Cup.According to Opta, he also became the first footballer to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, further adding to an unrivaled list of records at the tournament.His attack rating of 8.34 is generally comfortably at the top of the FIFA rankings, but Undav’s amazing efficiency ultimately pushed him to second place.

Mbappé, Vinícius and Dembélé continued to chase

French captain Kylian Mbappé occupies third place in FIFA’s attacking rankings with a score of 8.13, while Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior sits fourth with 7.92 after an outstanding group stage.Vinícius finished the opening round with four goals, scoring in all three matches against Morocco, Haiti and Scotland to become the first Brazilian player in 24 years to score in every game in the group stage of a World Cup.France winger Ousmane Dembélé rose to sixth after producing one of the performances of the tournament against Norway. His first-half hat-trick, completed in just 32 minutes, made him the first player since Oleg Salenko in 1994 to score a first-half World Cup hat-trick while also becoming the second-fastest player to complete the World Cup treble from kick-off.Norway striker Erling Haaland also features among the top performers after scoring four goals in his debut World Cup campaign.

FIFA rankings measure more than goals

Unlike the Golden Boot standings, the official FIFA rankings assess complete performances rather than just goals scored.The attacking category rewards chance quality, finishing and offensive participation, while creativity measures passing, creating and developing chances. Defensive contribution is also included to create a broader picture of a player’s overall influence.In another area of ​​FIFA’s position-specific metrics, France’s Michael Olise tops the creativity rankings with a score of 8.03, Canada’s Luc De Fougerolles is the highest-rated defender at 7.38, while Paraguay’s goalkeeper Orlando Gill and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams occupy the top two positions among goalkeepers.As the Round of 32 begins, the battle for the tournament’s individual honors remains open.Messi still leads the race for the Golden Boot with six goals, while Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland have all scored four times. France, Argentina and Mexico were also the only teams to complete perfect group stage records by winning all three of their matches, ensuring that many tournament favorites remain firmly in contention.Whether Undav can hold the top spot in FIFA’s statistical rankings without becoming a regular starter has become one of the more interesting subplots of the knockout rounds.