Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland can all smash World Cup records on star-studded day

History beckons for some of football’s biggest names after a stunning first round of World Cup fixtures.

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland took no time at all to make their mark in North America, with all three netting on multiple occasions in their opening group games.

Messi kicked off Argentina’s World Cup defence with a hat-trick, as he chased down his seven-goal tally in 2022Getty

Mbappe got the show underway with a stunning double to fire France to victory over Senegal, and become his country’s all-time record goalscorer in the process.

Not wanting to be outdone, Haaland immediately matched this as he bagged twice on his World Cup debut for Norway just hours later.

But as is often the case, the show was stolen by Messi, who rolled back the years with a classy hat-trick as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0.

And we could be set for more of the same soon, as all three nations again play their second group games within hours of each other.

Argentina take on Austria in Group J at 6pm, before some Group I action sees France and Iraq meet at 10pm, with Norway and Senegal then clashing at 1am.

So what history could be rewritten over the next 24 hours? We’ve taken a look as this summer promises to be a record-breaking one.

Lionel Messi: World Cup record goalscorer?

At 38, Messi proved he’s still got it by firing in a treble in Argentina’s opening game become the joint-top scorer in World Cup history.

His 16th finals goal also created history, by becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick in football’s biggest tournament.

And this means that he is now closing in on Miroslav Klose’s record, which has stood alone with 16 World Cup goals since 2014.

But Messi now looks odds-on to surpass this figure, as he has at least two more group games left to play, with Argentina likely to progress to the knockouts after winning their opening game.

Lionel Messi won the World Cup Golden Ball award in 2022, and you wouldn’t put it past him winning it again this summerGetty

The 2022 World Cup winner won’t be able to break the World Cup’s goal record as quickly as Klose, who took 24 games to hit the 16-goal mark, three fewer than Messi’s 27.

There is extra incentive for Messi to keep up his goalscoring form too, with Mbappe lurking close by in the tournament all-time standings.

France’s talisman currently boasts 14 World Cup goals, and has taken just 15 games to reach it – 12 less than the Argentina icon.

Kylian Mbappe: First multiple Golden Boots?

Mbappe may have the World Cup’s all-time goal record in his sights, but there is another piece of history within his reach this summer.

The 27-year-old is looking to become the first player to win multiple World Cup Golden Boots.

Mbappe struck eight times to win the Golden Boot in Qatar in 2022, which included a stunning hat-trick in France’s final defeat against Messi and Argentina.

Kylian Mbappe is closing in on World Cup history, one way or anotherGetty

But the Real Madrid superstar isn’t the only player chasing history here, with Harry Kane also targeting the goalscoring record.

The England skipper won the prize in 2018 with six goals, and also netted twice in his opening game as the Three Lions beat Croatia 4-2.

Mbappe and Kane face plenty of competition for the Golden Boot this summer, with Messi, Germany’s Denis Undav and Canada’s Jonathan David currently leading the way on three goals.

Erling Haaland: Norway’s leading goalscorer?

It won’t surprise anyone to hear that Haaland is closing in on yet another goalscoring record.

The Manchester City talisman broke the record for the most goals in a single Premier League season in his debut campaign, and it’s a similar story on the international stage.

Erling Haaland got Norway’s first World Cup appearance since 1998 off to a flyerGetty

Haaland marked his World Cup bow with two goals as Norway beat Iraq 4-1, needing just 20 touches to do so.

In the process, he became the first player to net a double for his nation at the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old’s exploits also meant that he instantly took his place as Norway’s joint all-time leading scorer at the World Cup – levelling with Kjetil Rekdal.

And he can move clear of Rekdal when taking on Senegal on Tuesday morning.

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