A historic World Cup record is in danger of being broken this summer.And it’s hardly surprising that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are writing more World Cup folklore. Messi and Mbappe will both be looking to become the World Cup’s top scorer ever this summerGettyArgentina captain Messi became the World Cup’s joint-top all-time scorer in their opening Group J win over Algeria.Four years on from guiding his country to global glory, Messi scored a stunning hat-trick to move level with Miroslav Klose on 16 goals.Earlier in the day, France captain Mbappe returned to World Cup duty with a bang, netting twice as the two-time winners kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal.His double had a celebratory feel to it.Not only did Mbappe leapfrog Olivier Giroud’s record 57-goal haul for Les Bleus, the Real Madrid star became his country’s all-time leading World Cup scorer.His total of 14 goals means he sits just two behind Messi and Klose – a feat many would expect him to surpass this summer.German legend Klose has held the record for many years after netting a whopping 16 goals at the showpiece tournament.His record-breaking goal came in Germany’s 7-1 semi-final win over Brazil in 2014 en route to their fourth World Cup victory.The striker has sat above Brazilian icon Ronaldo, who has a tally of 15 goals in 19 games, and Gerd Muller, who scored 14 in only 13 appearances. Messi is now level on 16 while Mbappe is on 14 and both will want many more goals this summer.Messi has made the most ever appearances at World CupsGettyRecord World Cup goalscorersMiroslav Klose (Germany) – 16 goals Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 16 goalsRonaldo (Brazil) – 15 goalsKylian Mbappe (France) – 14 goalsGerd Muller (Germany) – 14 goalsJust Fontaine (France) – 13 goalsPele (Brazil) – 12 goals Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany) – 11 goalsSandor Kocsis (Hungary) – 11 goalsGabriel Batistuta (Argentina) – 10 goals Teofilo Cubillas (Peru) – 10 goalsGrzegorz Lato (Poland) – 10 goalsGary Lineker (England) – 10 goals Helmut Rahn (Germany) – 10 goalsThomas Muller (Germany) – 10 goalsOther players high on the list of World Cup top scorers who are still active include Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, who are all on eight goals.Kane will lead England once again this summer and will hope to fire the Three Lions to glory.Ronaldo, making his sixth World Cup appearance, will be looking to make a big impact like age-old rival Messi has already done.Klose is one of the greatest goalscorers in World Cup historygettyRonaldo could potentially overtake Messi in North America this summerGettyWho has made the most World Cup appearances?When it comes to appearances, Messi has the most ever at the World Cup after overtaking Lothar Matthaus in 2022.By appearing in his sixth tournament this summer, Messi made his 27th appearance against Algeria and will add many more games over the coming weeks.Below him, Lothar Matthaus had 25 World Cup caps for Germany, Klose has 24 games to his name, while iconic Italian defender Paolo Maldini finished his career with 23.Ronaldo currently sits above Diego Maradona on 22 appearances, but he’ll need to make four more than Messi with Portugal at the 2026 World Cup to equal his history-making tally.Germany’s Manuel Neuer came out of retirement to play this summer and will climb the all-time list.Croatia’s Luka Modric, who is on 19 appearances, will also break into the top ten in North America.Record World Cup appearancesLionel Messi (Argentina) – 27 matchesLothar Matthaus (Germany) – 25 matchesMiroslav Klose (Germany) – 24 matchesPaolo Maldini (Italy) – 23 matchesCristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 22 matchesDiego Maradona (Argentina) -21 matchesUwe Seeler (Germany) – 21 matchesWladyslaw Zmuda (Poland) – 21 matches Manuel Neuer (Germany) – 20 matchesCafu (Brazil) – 20 matches Philipp Lahm (Germany) – 20 matches Grzegorz Lato (Poland) – 20 matchesHugo Lloris (France) – 20 matchesJavier Mascherano (Argentina) – 20 matchesBastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) – 20 matchesStay up to date with all the latest World Cup tips & predictions, World Cup Top Goalscorer Odds, World Cup Group Winner Odds, World Cup Match Previews and all the best World Cup Betting Offers and Free Bets in our dedicated betting hubWorld Cup WhatsAppDon't miss an update from talkSPORT in our dedicated World Cup WhatsApp channel.Search for ‘talkSPORT World Cup’ in your ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp and we’ll drop the proper, unfiltered football chat straight to your lock screen—no fluff, just pure talkSPORT energy.It’s where you’ll find out all the new rules to watch out for, England and Scotland reaction and big match player ratings. Plus there will be loads of debates on the biggest talking points as Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and the biggest names in football descend on America, Canada and Mexico.