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I would be shocked if the record for the most goals scored by a player in a World Cup – Just Fontaine’s 13 in 1958 – is not broken this summer. That is how elite the world’s top forwards are. They are all pushing each other to keep scoring more. We are so lucky to be watching them at the same time.

I also believe, because of the skill set required to be a world-class, modern-day finisher, we are going to see more and more playing into their 40s, so much so that it may be possible that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go to another World Cup.

You still have to be explosive over short distances, but it’s primarily about positioning. It’s about instinct, timing and learning where to be in relation to the ball. The best strikers have that. A lot of the important things are in the brain rather than in the engine. This group know how to master crowded penalty areas thanks to years cultivating their craft.

More importantly, they are all looking after their bodies and showing what can be done if you take care of yourself impeccably. Messi is 39, Ronaldo is 41 and Robert Lewandowski, who is not at this World Cup, is thriving at 37. Harry Kane, who is 32, also looks after himself as a total professional and you can see it in the next generation, too, with the shape Erling Haaland keeps himself in. They live and breathe the lifestyle of a professional athlete. They eat well, have great recovery methods, train well in the gym and are not out drinking.

Marta, the Brazil legend, is still scoring great goals at 40 and I could list more. We have a habit of writing off senior players too quickly, based on how players lived in generations gone by, and overlook the innovations and lifestyles that keep current players at their peak for longer. Compare it with the stories about how Diego Maradona lived his life. The stars of today are not doing that.

This group of strikers have differences in their play. When you watch Messi in the first or second phase of play he is always around the central areas, in the width of the six-yard box. His decision-making and execution help make him such a remarkable footballer. He’s not just a goalscorer, he’s a creator – that’s what he’s evolved to become. He can still get past players, but what he does so well is attract pressure and then release teammates who are in space.

His ability to create a moment of magic has made Argentina one of the best sides in the tournament along with France. His free-kick against Jordan, where everybody could see him giving the goalkeeper the eyes, sets him apart. He is thinking one step ahead.

He probably does the least amount of running on his team. Watch Messi play and you will see much of what he is doing goes against the flow of the game: the ball might be moving in one direction and he’ll be waiting on the opposite side of it, knowing it will come back around or he will arrive late on to it. That is an exceptional quality.

Ronaldo is more of an imposing No 9 who can finish and is a threat aerially. I’m a big fan of Ronaldo, but in the past four years I’ve become an even bigger fan of Messi because we’ve seen how he drives Argentina. He’s a leader and he can still score and create goals for fun.

I have thought about the Messi or Ronaldo debate a lot and it’s a silly one. We simply need to say: ‘We have been blessed with two extraordinary players for this length of time.’ Pulling them apart does a disservice to them. In the coming years should we do the same with Haaland, Kylian Mbappé or Lamine Yamal? No, let’s just admire the qualities of these players.

Some people say when you drop out of the European leagues you’re not at the same level. MLS is a top league and Messi scored 29 goals in 28 games in the 2025 regular season, an extraordinary number. It has been a pleasure to watch him.

I took my son, Harry, to see him play in Denver in front of 65,000 people. Messi scored, bending the ball into the top corner, my son turned and gulped at me like he’d just seen the most extraordinary thing in his life. I thought: ‘That is a memory he’s going to have for ever.’

He reads books about Messi, plays video games pretending to be Messi and to watch that live was a beautiful moment. I want him to get the bug of the World Cup that was given to me by my dad. And this has been an infectious tournament.

I predicted quite confidently there would be a record number of goals at this tournament, not least because of the extra round, and the top players have shown up, which hasn’t always been the case. I put that down to a lot of things. The crowds have been extraordinary. The video assistant referee has gone up a notch and decisions are being taken quickly, saving time. Officials are allowing more physical 50-50s in duels. You can’t delay throw-ins.

All this is contributing to more time when the ball is in play. Couple that with some of the greatest strikers to walk the Earth showing their class and we are being spoiled.