The World Cup third-place standings have already moved after just two matches for every team, and The Athletic has published an updated top 50 player ranking that reflects the early shape of the tournament. Mbappe sits at the center of that change, after two long-range strikes in as many group games made him one of the clearest standouts in the competition’s opening phase.
That is why the ranking is being searched now: the event has reached the point where every side has been seen twice, giving a first real test of which players have actually changed games. The Athletic’s player ratings model is driving the update, so the list is less a popularity contest than a measure of who has already done the most on the pitch.
Mbappe’s case is straightforward. He scored from distance against Iraq, then followed it with another long-range finish in his next group game, a level of output that pushed him into the conversation at the very top of the early standings. Messi also forced his way into the same space after a match-winning performance against Austria, one that lifted him to the top of the competition’s all-time scoring list and confirmed that the biggest names are not waiting for the knockout rounds to make their mark.
Other names have flashed into the picture for different reasons. Haaland has reached four goals after a double against Senegal and helped Norway wrap up qualification from Group I with a game to spare. Hakimi has owned the right flank against Scotland, creating space for Brahim Diaz with his forward runs and setting up a headed chance for Bilal El Khannouss. Fernandes has helped Portugal move the ball more quickly through midfield against Uzbekistan, then slid Ronaldo clear for his second goal. In that company, Ronaldo can feel like a player who has arrived late, even if the finish against Uzbekistan changed the tone around him. As one assessment put it, he had belatedly entered the chat.
The friction in the list is that not every star has hit full speed. Kane had a golden chance in the final minutes against Ghana and England were effectively stifled in Boston, a reminder that reputation alone is not enough to keep pace with the tournament’s early risers. Diaz was also not at his most clinical against DR Congo, even if he found the net once before being ruled offside. The rankings are therefore capturing a tournament still settling into itself, with some contenders already punishing defenses and others still waiting for their best touch to land at the right moment.
What comes next is the part that makes the standings worth watching: more matches, more ratings, and another chance for the order to change before the field narrows. Mbappe may be the name shaping the early debate, but the real story is that the tournament has only just reached the point where the rankings can start to separate form from reputation.
