Best of the rest: The standout players behind Messi, Mbappe, Kane, and Haaland

por Wosti -

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland have taken most of the headlines at the 2026 World Cup, scoring freely and leading the Golden Boot race. But a tier below the four favourites, a group of forwards have lit up the tournament and dragged their countries through the group stage. With the knockout rounds reshaping the World Cup final odds, several of them could yet decide who goes all the way.

Some are seasoned internationals, others are using the tournament to raise their profile. All have made their mark in North America.

In this article, we look at the standout players operating just behind the headline names.

Deniz Undav

Germany have found an unlikely match-winner in Deniz Undav. The Stuttgart forward began the tournament on the bench, then came on to score in the 7-1 win over Curacao before adding a match-winning brace against Cote d'Ivoire. With two assists alongside his goals, Undav was Germany's most productive attacker in their campaign, filling a super-sub role that has given them an edge in tight games.

Jonathan David

Few players have announced themselves like Jonathan David. Canada's all-time top scorer struck a hat-trick in the 6-0 rout of Qatar, the country's first World Cup win and a result that matched the record margin for a host nation. It was a turnaround for the Juventus striker, who had struggled at club level and drawn a blank in the opening draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite being knocked out by Morocco in the Round of 16, David became the player Canada heavily leaned on throughout the tournament.

Crysencio Summerville

Crysencio Summerville is using the World Cup to rebuild his stock. The winger scored against Japan in the opening 2-2 draw, then came off the bench to add another in the 5-1 win over Sweden. His timing could hardly be better. Summerville was relegated with West Ham last season, and reports already link him with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain. Anyone tracking the UK odds and the Dutch run will have been watching him closely, because a move away from a relegated side now looks likely, and his form is doing the persuading.

Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior has carried a stuttering Brazil through their opening games. The Real Madrid forward scored a fine equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw with Morocco when the five-time winners were second best, then added another in the 3-0 win over Haiti. Brazil have not convinced under Carlo Ancelotti, and Vinicius was often the one to dig them out. He just couldn't do enough for the Selacao, as they were defeated 2-1 by Norway in the Round of 16, their earliest World Cup exit since 1990.

Others in the mix

A few more deserve a nod. Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal was quiet in the goalless draw with Cape Verde but much improved in the first half against Saudi Arabia., and now has a total of four goals at this tournament. Uruguay's Maxi Araujo rescued a point with a late equaliser against Saudi Arabia. Cody Gakpo scored twice for the Netherlands against Sweden and has been linked with a move to Tottenham, while Japan's Ayase Ueda scored twice and set up another in the win over Tunisia.

The headline names will keep drawing the attention, but tournaments are rarely decided by three players alone. The forwards a rung below have already shaped the group stage, and some of them may yet shape the knockout rounds.