Messi, Mbappé and Kane join elite club with 5+ goals in two World Cup tournaments | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup has seen the big names on fire, with the Golden Boot race a who's who of world football's best forwards.

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are all in contention for the prize, and that trio have joined an exclusive group of footballers this summer. Only six players have ever scored 5+ goals in two World Cup tournaments.

Players to score five or more goals in multiple World Cup tournaments:

🇵🇪 Téofilo Cubillas (1970 & 1978)

An icon of Peruvian football, Cubillas scored five goals at the 1970 and 1978 World Cup as the South Americans reached the quarter-finals. Peru had played only once previously at the tournament, a winless group-stage exit in the inaugural 1930 finals. Led by Cubillas, Peru twice made an impact in the 1970s.

He memorably scored twice against Scotland in 1978, including a stunning free-kick, and hit a hat-trick against Iran.

🇩🇪 Miroslav Klose (2002 & 2006)

Miroslav Klose held the record as World Cup top scorer before this summer, following a remarkable career of consistency in the tournament.

Klose scored a hat-trick against Saudi Arabia on his World Cup debut in 2002 and became the first player to score five headed goals in a single tournament.

Four years later, he won the Golden Boot on home soil asGermany reached the final. Klose added four goals in 2010 and two more in 2014, the latter tournament ending with World Cup success.

🇩🇪 Thomas Müller (2010 & 2014)

Thomas Muller had only two caps for Germany before the 2010 World Cup, but a breakout tournament saw him become a household name. Muller scored five goals to win the Golden Boot and Best Young Player awards in South Africa, as Germany reached the semi-finals.

In 2014, he scored five times again as Germany won the World Cup in Brazil. His return included a group-stage hat-trick against Portugal.

🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (2022 & 2026)

Lionel Messi had scored six goals across four World Cup tournaments before 2022. Across 10 games and a further two tournaments, he's now the World Cup's record scorer.

Messi scored seven times on route to World Cup success in Qatar, including two goals inArgentina's thrilling final win over France.

He's started the 2026 tournament in even better form, with six goals in three group games. A double against Austria saw him eclipse Klose as the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.

🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappé (2022 & 2026)

Kylian Mbappe comes alive on the World Cup stage. The Frenchman scored four goals as Les Bleus were crowned world champions in 2018, and became only the second teenager to score in a final.

His first five-goal haul came in 2022 as he inspired France's run to a second straight final, scoring eight times as Didier Deshamps side finished as runners-up to Argentina. His Golden Boot-winning haul included becoming only the second player ever to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final.

An electric start to 2026 has seen Mbappe score six times in four games. He's now second overall for World Cup goals, with 18.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Harry Kane (2018 & 2026)

Harry Kane is competing with Mbappe to become the first two-time winner of the World Cup's Golden Boot. Kane won that accolade in 2018 after scoring six times forEngland, and has netted five times during this summer's tournament.

His 13 career goals at the World Cup have made Kane the highest-scoring Englishman in the competition's history.