The FIFA World Cup 2026 knockouts have started. It’s here that things get really, really serious. One misstep and years of hard work can go to waste
The FIFA World Cup 2026 knockouts have started. It’s here that things get really, really serious. One misstep and years of hard work can go to waste. Some heroes will fall, while others will seal their legacy. In the group stage, among the big guns, Lionel Messi outshone others with six goals in three matches. It has taken his total tally in the FIFA World Cup across editions to 19 – most by any man in history. It’s almost astounding that the veteran Messi has more goals in the FIFA World Cup 2026 than a band of top young contenders like Kylian Mbappe (4), Vinicius Junior (4), and Erling Haaland (4).
However, in the FIFA World Cup 2026 ‘Power Rankings’ (a new individual player ranking system based on data collected during matches), Argentina great Messi is not the No. 1 outfield player (as per the rankings released after the end of the group stage and before the Round of 32). In fact, France’s Kylian Mbappe and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior also do not hold the No. 1 spot.
According to FIFA, “The Power Rankings is considered a measure of match and tournament performance: each player receives a score for each match and for their overall performance in the tournament. All outfield players will receive a score between 0-10 in the three categories: attacking, creativity, and defending. Goalkeepers will be scored in possession and defending the goal.”
Who Is The No. 1 Player?
As per FIFA’s latest Power Rankings, Germany’s Deniz Undav is the No. 1 player. The VfB Stuttgart player got 8.36 in attacking, 6.78 in creativity, and 4.7 in defending. Messi is the No. 2 player with a score of 8.34 in attacking, 6.43 in creativity, and 5.14 in defending.
Kylian Mbappe (8.13, 7.25, 4.59) and Vinicius Junior (7.92, 6.39, 4.75) are the No. 3 and No. 4 players. Portugal’s Ronaldo is 79th (5.72, 4.98, 4.74).
Surprise Star of World Cup
Deniz Undav, one of the surprise stars of this World Cup, is playing for powerhouse Germany. Yet, with his Yazidi and Kurdish heritage, the 29-year-old striker is representing two communities on the global stage with no realistic chance of having World Cup teams of their own.
After entering as a substitute for Germany, Undav scored three goals and set up two more, putting him just behind top-scoring superstars such as Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé of France, and Vinicius Jr. of Brazil on the leaderboard.
Undav, who identifies as a Kurdish Yazidi, is the son of Yazidi refugees. His success is being celebrated by a small, insular community that has endured decades of oppression and violence, notably a 2014 onslaught in which thousands of Yazidis in Iraq’s Sinjar region were killed or abducted by militants from the Islamic State group, who considered them to be heretics.
Responding to a question at a news conference Wednesday, the German-born Undav said he hoped his performance would inspire fans everywhere, especially within the Yazidi community.