Argentina’s Lionel Messi practices for the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Lionel Messi may be leading the Golden Boot race and continues to rewrite FIFA World Cup history, but the Argentine captain is not the highest-rated attacking player of the tournament after the group stage.Instead, FIFA’s official performance rankings have placed Germany substitute Deniz Undav at the top of the attacking charts, edging past Messi by the narrowest of margins following three extraordinary substitute appearances during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.FIFA’s official World Cup player power rankings, developed with Aramco under the guidance of Arsène Wenger, evaluate every player’s performance using advanced match data. Outfield players receive scores out of 10 across attacking, creativity and defending, while goalkeepers are assessed separately for their goalkeeping and possession contributions.While many expected Messi, Kylian Mbappé or even Harry Kane to occupy top spot after the group stage, FIFA’s data instead rewarded efficiency, with Undav’s remarkable impact from the bench proving enough to finish first.

Deniz Undav tops FIFA’s attacking rankings despite never starting a match

Few players have influenced matches as dramatically with so little playing time.Undav has yet to start a game for Germany at the tournament, making only three substitute appearances for a combined total of just 86 minutes.

Germany’s Deniz Undav reacts after scoring during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Curacao in Houston, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Those brief cameos have nevertheless produced extraordinary numbers.The striker has scored three goals and supplied two assists, averaging one goal every 28.7 minutes and a direct goal contribution every 17.2 minutes.His standout performance arrived during Germany’s emphatic 7-1 victory over Curaçao, where he came off the bench to score once and register two assists in just 26 minutes.He followed that by producing a dramatic substitute brace against Ivory Coast, including the decisive winner in the 94th minute, helping Germany secure a 2-1 victory.Those performances earned Undav an attacking rating of 8.36, narrowly ahead of Messi’s 8.34, making him FIFA’s highest-rated attacking player after the group stage despite never featuring in a starting XI.

Messi continues to rewrite World Cup history

Although he finished second in FIFA’s attacking rankings, Messi continues to produce one of the finest tournaments of his career.The Argentina captain has scored six goals in three group-stage matches, extending his all-time World Cup goals tally to 19 and strengthening his position as the tournament’s leading scorer heading into the knockout rounds.During Argentina’s victory over Jordan, Messi also became the first player in history to score against 13 different countries at the FIFA World Cup.According to Opta, he also became the first footballer ever to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, further adding to an already unmatched list of tournament records.His attacking rating of 8.34 would normally have comfortably led FIFA’s rankings, but Undav’s astonishing efficiency ultimately pushed him into second place.

Mbappé, Vinícius and Dembélé continue to chase

France captain Kylian Mbappé occupies third place in FIFA’s attacking rankings with a score of 8.13, while Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior sits fourth on 7.92 after an outstanding group stage.Vinícius finished the opening phase with four goals, scoring in all three matches against Morocco, Haiti and Scotland to become the first Brazilian player in 24 years to score in every group-stage match of a World Cup.France winger Ousmane Dembélé climbed into sixth after producing one of the tournament’s defining performances against Norway. His first-half hat-trick, completed inside just 32 minutes, made him the first player since Oleg Salenko in 1994 to score a first-half World Cup hat-trick while also becoming the second-fastest player ever to complete a World Cup treble from kick-off.Norway striker Erling Haaland also features among the leading performers after scoring four goals during his debut World Cup campaign.

FIFA’s rankings measure more than goals

Unlike the Golden Boot standings, FIFA’s official rankings assess complete performances rather than simply goals scored.The attacking category rewards chance quality, finishing and offensive involvement, while creativity measures passing, chance creation and progression. Defensive contribution is also included to produce a broader picture of a player’s overall influence.Elsewhere in FIFA’s position-specific metrics, France’s Michael Olise leads the creativity rankings with a score of 8.03, Canada’s Luc De Fougerolles is the highest-rated defender on 7.38, while Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams occupy the top two positions among goalkeepers.As the Round of 32 begins, the battle for the tournament’s individual honours remains wide open.Messi still leads the Golden Boot race with six goals, while Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland have all scored four times. France, Argentina and Mexico are also the only teams to have completed perfect group-stage records by winning all three of their matches, ensuring many of the tournament favourites remain firmly in contention.Whether Undav can retain top spot in FIFA’s statistical rankings without becoming a regular starter now becomes one of the more intriguing subplots of the knockout rounds.