Judging solely by the numbers, Haaland deserves to be considered the most fearsome striker at the 2026 World Cup. After two matches, the Manchester City star has scored 4 goals from just 10 shots, an impressive efficiency surpassing Lionel Messi (5 goals from 13 shots), Kylian Mbappe (4 goals from 12 shots), Cristiano Ronaldo (2 goals from 8 shots), and Harry Kane (2 goals from 9 shots). What's special is that Haaland isn't the type of striker who constantly dribbles or participates heavily in build-up play. He appears at the right time, in the right place, and almost every clear opportunity is converted into a goal. This is also the quality that has made him one of the best number 9s in the world.
Haaland always handles the ball with minimal touch but is extremely effective.
PHOTO: REUTERS
In the European qualifying rounds, Haaland was the top scorer with 16 goals, playing a major role in helping Norway return to the World Cup for the first time in almost three decades. Wearing the Manchester City shirt, he scored 35 goals in all competitions. Even though "The Citizens" had a less than perfect season, Haaland remained the biggest bright spot in the attack, proving that his goal-scoring ability is almost unaffected by the team's performance. His greatest strength is that he doesn't need many opportunities. Just one moment of carelessness from the opposing defense, and the 1.95m tall striker is enough to decide the match with his speed, strength, and rare one-touch finishing ability.
However, World Cup history shows that goal-scoring performance is not the only factor determining the Golden Boot. More important is the number of matches played. This is precisely the biggest question mark for Haaland. Compared to Messi's Argentina, Mbappe's France, Harry Kane's England, or Cristiano Ronaldo 's Portugal, Norway is clearly not considered a title contender. Coach Stale Solbakken's squad boasts several quality stars like Martin Odegaard, Alexander Sorloth, and Antonio Nusa, but their squad depth is still significantly lacking compared to the big teams.
If Norway is eliminated in the round of 16 or quarter-finals, Haaland will need at least 2-3 matches to improve his goalscoring record. Meanwhile, Messi, Mbappe, or Kane will likely have more opportunities if their teams progress further. What has happened in previous World Cups also helps us understand the difficulty Haaland faces. James Rodriguez won the Golden Boot in 2014 even though Colombia only reached the quarter-finals, but that's a very rare case. Most top scorers go to players from teams that reach the semi-finals or final, simply because they play more matches.
That makes this year's race very interesting. Haaland is leading in sharpness, Messi stands out thanks to his ability to maintain a nearly equal number of chances and efficiency, and Mbappe always knows how to explode in big matches. The gap between the contenders is still very close, and just a few goals in the knockout rounds could completely reverse the situation. Therefore, if we consider only finishing efficiency, Haaland is currently number one at the 2026 World Cup. But to turn that into the Golden Boot, he needs more goals and Norway needs to stay in the tournament for as long as possible.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/haaland-co-de-gianh-vua-pha-luoi-185260625192949385.htm
