Goa, June 30 -- Lionel Messi continues to strengthen his legendary FIFA World Cup legacy, but surprisingly, he is not the top-ranked player in FIFA's latest World Cup 2026 Power Rankings. Instead, Germany forward Deniz Undav occupies the No. 1 spot following an outstanding group-stage campaign, while Messi sits second and Cristiano Ronaldo is ranked 79th.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 has entered the knockout stage, where every match carries enormous significance. After an impressive group-stage performance, Messi emerged as the tournament's leading scorer with six goals in three matches, taking his all-time World Cup tally to a record 19 goals. The Argentine captain has outscored several younger superstars, including France's Kylian Mbappe, B...