India, June 23 -- We are in the middle of a never-before-seen race for the Golden Boot. With every game, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are finding a higher level, egged on not just by the crowd but also by the feats of the other geniuses around them.

In their team's second-round matches, the trio scored a brace each to follow up their exploits from the first round of games. After just two matches, Messi already has five goals. Mbappe and Haaland follow closely behind with four each.

"I already knew Messi was going to keep scoring goals," Mbappe had said on Sunday. "He always does. He's ahead of me and I'm behind him. I'll keep scoring to help my national team go as far as possible."

It is too early to say whether Just ...