This World Cup has shown that neither player is daunted by the pressure of a major tournament too.
For all the focus on Messi, it feels only a matter of time before Mbappe reels him in at the top of the World Cup scoring charts.
The Frenchman trails the 39-year-old by just two goals after scoring 16 times in 16 World Cup appearances. Crucially, Mbappe is 12 years younger than Messi and, while you would not completely rule out the Argentina legend returning in four years’ time, this is likely to be his final World Cup.
Haaland is playing in his first World Cup and has taken to the tournament like a Viking rower to water.
He is the sixth player in World Cup history to score multiple goals in each of his first two appearances at the tournament and only the second to do so in the past 50 years, after Harry Kane for England in 2018.
His recent form for Norway has been remarkable, too. He has scored in 12 consecutive competitive internationals, including an incredible 16 goals in his last six matches.
On the international stage, Haaland has also been the more prolific scorer overall. Mbappe has an impressive 60 international goals in 100 games, but the Norway striker is just one behind on 59 despite having played only 52 matches for his country – 48 fewer than Mbappe.
How do their games compare?
Their respective heat maps from the tournament offer an insight into where they do most of their work on the pitch.
