Lionel Messi leads Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in incredible goal stat across Europe’s top 5 leagues this season
Lionel Messi currently leads Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland for most goal contributions for club and country this season by players from Europe's top five leagues.
The Argentina skipper has scored 34 goals and provided 22 assists in the 2022-23 season, which adds up to a total of 56 goal contributions in just 44 games. He has scored 18 goals and provided 17 assists in 32 games for Paris Saint-Germain across competitions.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 16 goals and provided five assists for Argentina, including seven goals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Messi leads the charts and is followed by his PSG teammate Mbappe and Manchester City striker Haaland.
The French ace has made 52 goal contributions in 44 games for club and country. He has scored 31 goals and provided seven assists in 33 games across competitions for PSG. The forward has also scored 11 goals and provided three assists for France, including a World Cup hat-trick.
Haaland, meanwhile, has been sensational since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund last summer. He has scored 42 goals and has provided five assists in 37 games across competitions for the English club.
He has scored just one goal for Norway this season as they didn't feature in the World Cup. So, Haaland's overall tally is 48 goal contributions in 39 games.
With City still competing in three competitions, the Norwegian could well be on his way to catching Messi and Mbappe on the list.
Lionel Messi on Kylian Mbappe's performance in the FIFA World Cup final
In a breathtaking final of arguably football's greatest tournament, both Messi and Mbappe put up a spectacle. The former scored a brace to put his side on the way to 2022 FIFA World Cup glory, while the latter grabbed a hat-trick.
Argentina led 2-0 until the 79th minute before the now-French captain scored a stunning brace to take it to extra time. Messi scored his second of the night to make it 3-2 but the Frenchman scored two minutes from time to make it 3-3.
La Albiceleste eventually won 4-2 on penalties but Mbappe's performance garnered huge praise from everyone, including the Argentina skipper. He said (via ESPN):
"It really was a breathtaking final. It was crazy how the match went. Kylian scored three incredible goals, in a final! Not being able to be champion after that was crazy. But he's already won it too, and he knows what it's like to be world champion."
He added:
"So yes, it was a great final for the football world. And now it's true that it's nice to be able to play in the same team with him, and I hope we can do great things here in Paris."
Both superstars will next be in action when PSG host Olympique Lyon in Ligue 1 on Sunday, April 2.