It’s remarkable that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still playing at the World Cup aged 39 and 41, respectively, never mind scoring goals.

Messi currently leads the race for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot award after scoring five goals in Argentina’s opening two matches of this summer’s tournament, while Ronaldo silenced his critics with two goals against Uzbekistan after drawing a blank against DR Congo.

Cristiano has now scored 145 goals in 230 appearances for Portugal, while Messi has 122 goals in 201 matches for Argentina and recently bagged his 61st career hat-trick. Extraordinary numbers from two players who will always be part of greatest footballer of all time debates.

It’s strange to think that Messi would have been retired from international football for a full decade by now without the pleas from the Argentine public and his teammates.

After Argentina lost the 2016 Copa America final – the fourth major final La Albiceleste had lost in the space of nine years – a devastated Messi, who missed a penalty in the shootout against Chile, announced his retirement.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

“For me, the national team is over,” Messi, who was seen in tears after losing the final, told reporters. “I’ve done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion.”

Aged 29 at the time, and with 113 international appearances to his name, Messi added: “It’s been four finals, I tried. It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn’t get it, so I think it’s over.

“I think this is best for everyone. First of all for me, then for everyone.

“I think there’s a lot of people who want this, who obviously are not satisfied, as we are not satisfied reaching a final and not winning it.

Ronaldo’s Reaction to Messi’s Retirement

REUTERS/Darren Staples

After hearing Messi’s emotional reaction to losing, Ronaldo – who was on the verge of winning Euro 2016 with Portugal – offered his view on his long-term rival’s shock decision.

“Messi has taken a tough decision and people should understand,” Ronaldo told Mundo Deportivo, per Sky Sports.

“He is not accustomed to defeats and disappointments, not even finishing second. Missing a penalty does not make you a bad player.

Ronaldo, perhaps the one player on the planet who could truly emphatise with Messi given his own global superstar status, admitted it ‘hurt’ to see Messi in tears – despite the fact they were battling for supremacy week-in, week-out with Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga at the time.

While Messi’s absence would have enhanced his and Portugal’s chances of success on the international stage over the next 10 years, Ronaldo made it clear that he preferred it if his rival reversed his decision.

The group stage of the 2026 World Cup is almost over, and there has already been a surfeit of talking points to whet the appetite of football fans across the globe. Away from the political tensions that have defined the tournament off the pitch, several teams have emerged as early favourites for glory.

Argentina look a safe bet to go far again after winning it under Lionel Messi’s guidance in 2022, while France’s attacking play has also seen them maintain a 100% start this summer with real authority. Meanwhile, Morocco, the USA and Japan have emerged as genuine dark horses, showing enough resilience and quality to suggest deep runs, while others have already fallen by the wayside, including Haiti and Tunisia.

The current state of England remains unclear, having made a statement of intent with a 4-2 win over Croatia before a damp squib against Ghana left them winless in their second match for a fourth straight tournament. But what about the players themselves within those teams? The standout performers so far have been ranked based on their average WhoScored rating.

30-21

Trask Smith/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

Kicking things off is Premier League star Daniel Munoz, whose two goals from right-back for Colombia earn him an average rating of 7.70. Alexi Lalas placed the South American underdogs above Argentina in his controversial World Cup Power Rankings ahead of the tournament, but they had to squeeze past debutants DR Congo in their first match before conceding to Uzbekistan in their second, resulting in Munoz’s ceiling being lower than others on this list.

Keito Nakamura, along with Paraguay duo Julio Enciso and Matías Galarza, follow within 0.02 points, while Pedri – despite being considered among the top three midfielders in the world – sits down in 26th. That could be reflective of Spain’s lack of control in the engine room when the pressure rose in a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, though the fact Matheus Cunha’s three goals only earn him one place higher is indicative of the Barcelona man’s ability to impress without necessarily dominating headlines.

In 24th is Viktor Gyokeres, having scored and assisted once so far. He is narrowly behind Canada’s Nathan Saliba, Algeria’s Nadhir Benbouali, and Portugal defender Ruben Dias, whose pass success stands at an incredible 98.4% so far.

20-11

Kiyoshi Mio via Reuters

Two USA players feature in this section after the Stars and Stripes managed to win back-to-back World Cup matches for just the second time in their history, and the first since 1930. Christian Pulisic’s dictatorial performance against Paraguay earned him an 8.04 rating before an injury ruled him out of Mauricio Pochettino’s next two matches, while Alex Freeman (7.85) has won more aerial duels than anyone on this list with five, having also kept a clean sheet and contributed to two goals.

Maxi Araujo of Uruguay, and Japanese ace Ko Itakura sit either side of him in 20th and 18th respectively. Achraf Hakimi, who has created 11 big chances so far this summer, then follows after his goal and assist against Haiti in their final match spared Morocco plenty of blushes, while Mikel Oyarzabal was boosted by Lamine Yamal’s return in Spain’s second match to score twice and register another assist in a cruising victory over Saudi Arabia.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was among those to be viciously trolled on social media after Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opener, with many Cristiano Ronaldo fans infuriated by what they felt was a deliberate decision not to pass to him. In the second match, however, all was forgiven when he set up Portugal’s opener, placing him just behind Alexander Isak on this list, as Liverpool fans dream of a return to full sharpness for their British transfer fee record signing.

10-1

Kim Price/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA via Reuters

In a World Cup that has already produced several memorable goalkeeping performances, Alireza Beiranvand joined the group with seven saves during Iran’s recent goalless draw against Belgium, which included one of the saves of the tournament. For that reason, he earns a place in the top 10, with his 8.12 rating just behind that of Felix Nmecha (8.14) and Pedro Porro (8.15).

Deniz Undav has only played 57 minutes, but the former Brighton man has scored three goals and registered two assists, almost certainly earning him a starting place going into the knockouts. Despite more goal contributions in fewer minutes, though, Michael Olise has proven his special talent once again so far and ranks sixth, just behind Vinicius Junior who has finally started putting numbers up on the board for Brazil.

Both those wingers will be vying for a Ballon d’Or come October. The same can’t be said for Cody Gakpo, who seems to do much better for country than he does club, earning a place in at fourth as he averages a score of 8.54. That’s still a decent amount behind Kylian Mbappe (8.61) and Erling Haaland (8.87), but nobody ius even close to reaching Messi’s pedestal, with his score of 9.66 reflecting the fact he’s still one of the best in the world, scoring all five of Argentina’s goals so far as he eyes immortality once again.

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Stats courtesy of Whoscored (correct as of 25/06/2026)

President of the UFC Dana White made an appearance on Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson with co-host DJ Whoo Kid – real name Yves Mondesir – back in 2023, as the three men spent an hour covering a number of topics from the rivalry between Philadelphia and Boston to the developments and future of the UFC.

At times, it was easy to forget that this was not a conversation between two friends in the comfort of their home as Tyson and White were at ease laughing and joking together. The respect between the two was clear from the beginning and the latter spent the first few moments touching on the pair’s friendship and remarking on Tyson’s influence in the world beyond the boxing ring and the UFC.

“You are an amazing f***** human being man. You’re also an important part of pop culture,” the head honcho of UFC said to the boxing heavyweight legend, and can you blame him? Iron Mike is one of the biggest names in not just sport, but pop culture, as White says.

Listeners were also given insight into some behind-the-scenes conversations, as White recalled he was “totally against” the boxing veteran fighting against Roy Jones in 2020, that was until Tyson called White directly and told him to stop undermining the fight. “He told me that he was a grown a** man, and he could make his own decisions,” White revealed.

Among the conversations, one of the most revealing questions and intriguing points of discussion, was when White was asked who were his top five UFC fighters of all time. A very tough question to answer, especially when you are the boss of the entire organisation. It was so tough, in fact, despite being asked for five, White named SEVEN.

Dana White’s Greatest UFC Fighters of All Time

“So hard to do because when you look at the 23 years that I’ve been in it, there’s been so many great fights… but you got to start with Jon Jones,” White said as he began his list.

Jon Jones

Jon “Bones” Jones holds the record for youngest-ever champion in UFC history, as he defeated Mauricio Rua, aged 23, in 2011. Since then, Jones has gone on to be one of the most successful fighters and expanded the reach of MMA. In 2012, he became the first MMA fighter to be sponsored by Nike on a global scale, though, the deal was terminated some years later. His victory over Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight crown undoubtedly sealed his position as one of the all-time greats in the sport.

“There’s just so many it’s hard to pick,” said White. But other names had been thrown around in the conversation as co-host DJ Whoo Kid quietly mentioned that he had Conor McGregor on his list.

“Those are all good ones,” White said, before moving on to extend his list to Ronda Rousey, undoubtedly one of the biggest names in UFC history.

Ronda Rousey & Amanda Nunes

Rousey dominated the scene and took home several awards, beating out Floyd Mayweather for the Best Fighter ESPY award in 2015. Her signature armbar move came to be what she was known for, but her unwavering personality appealed to swathes of fans and was a force in elevating the women’s sport.

“You got to have Amanda Nunes,” White continued, calling her the “greatest female fighter of all time.”

Nunes, who was the first woman to become a two-division champion, broke several records, and held the number one spot when she retired in 2023. Her position as the best female fighter goes relatively unchallenged due to her sheer domination of the sport.

While White had no reservations about mentioning Nunes, Rousey, or Jones, the discussion picked up as the three men debated about who else would make the list.

Kamaru Usman

“How do you not have Usman?” White added as he appeared to be thinking out loud.

Kamaru Usman made his UFC debut in 2015 and went on to compete in the welterweight division. He has seen great success in the UFC as a former welterweight champion and victor of the UFC Fighter 21 tournament. The Nigerian-American fighter lost his first fight in the UFC in 2022 against Leon Edwards, and suffered a second loss to Edwards at UFC 286 for the welterweight championship.

After, White stalled a little as he hinted at the history of the UFC, acknowledging that the fighters he had mentioned so far were all relatively recent.

Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Royce Gracie

“Think about those tough guys back in the day,” Tyson nudged, and White nodded in agreement, going on to mention the legendary American fighter Chuck Liddell.

The conversation could have gone on for hours and listeners got the sense that the entire podcast could be centred around the debate of the top five UFC fighters, but in the end, White conceded that it was too difficult to narrow down the history of UFC to just five names.

“If you look at the different generations of people who helped take the sport to another level,” said White. “It’s hard to just pick five all-time great fighters. Matt Hughes would have to make the list… and then you look at all the different Brazilians that came up.”

But while White may have struggled to grapple with picking just five, some notable names did not even cross his lips during the discussion.

Dana White Makes Huge Omissions

Khabib & Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor were the two gaping holes in the conversation that fans immediately picked up on.

But interestingly, the UFC president was asked the same question in an interview by GQ in 2022, and his answer looked slightly different. Rousey and Jones were still mentioned, but White also included Anderson Silva, McGregor, and Georges St-Pierre, names that weren’t touched during the podcast.

Some fans have been surprised at the exclusion of the likes of McGregor and Khabib with their fighting history and mass global appeal, but in that aforementioned interview four years ago, White addressed a question of whether Khabib can be considered the “GOAT.” White went on to say that he undoubtedly had a successful career, even retiring in his prime, but it’s too hard to say because he believes the Russian just “retired too early,” to be a part of that conversation.

The Russian fighter retired in 2020 as he said he wanted to be able to devote more time to his family. Khabib was the longest-reigning UFC champion ever, holding the title from April 2018 to March 2021, but for White, the longevity of his career, or lack thereof, means he simply cannot hold a place in serious discussion of the top UFC fighters.

White was quick to mention McGregor in 2022, but when asked the same question a year later, the Irishman did not feature at all in his discussion. This might surprise fans because it has seemed that the Irishman and the UFC have gone hand in hand for years as the charisma of the “Champ Champ” caught the attention of millions of people across the globe.

McGregor wielded intense viewing power during his time in the UFC, his name on a fight card all but guaranteed millions of views. He broke viewership records and was credited with converting casual fans into regular watchers of the sport. White even touched on McGregor’s financial pull during the podcast when he noted that the “biggest fight of all time was between Conor and Flord [Mayweather],” which had 4.3 million pay-per-view buys.

For commercial reasons alone, it is surprising that White did not even touch on McGregor’s influence, but on top of that, Notorious was an undeniably successful fighter. After all, he was the first UFC fighter to hold championships in two weight classes simultaneously.