Haaland nets twice on World Cup debut but defers to Kane and Mbappe in best-striker debate

Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with a brace as Norway swept aside Iraq 4-1, yet the Manchester City striker was quick to play down any claim to being the world’s best, pointing instead to Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe as the season’s superior finishers.

Stale Solbakken’s side were briefly unsettled when Aymen Hussein levelled for Iraq, but Haaland, Leo Ostigard, and an own goal from Hussein completed a comfortable evening for Norway. The double took Haaland’s remarkable international record to 57 goals in 51 appearances.

Despite claiming a second Premier League Golden Boot with City — bagging 27 league goals — Haaland was measured in his self-assessment when speaking to reporters after the final whistle. “I would say I’m up there [with the best]. I don’t think I scored the most goals this season,” he said. “So statistically, no I’m not, because Harry Kane and Mbappe scored more goals than me and that’s the reality.”

On his own performance, Haaland kept his focus firmly on what comes next. “I think today you saw the same energy. But when I think about how I played today, I played in the same way. It’s all about continuing and not saying too much. It’s difficult at this stage — focus on the next [game] and of course you’re happy [with the victory], but stay calm.”

Haaland’s brace arrived on the same day Mbappe became France’s all-time leading scorer, netting his 57th and 58th international goals in 99 appearances. The Real Madrid forward scored 40 times in 42 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League last season. Kane, meanwhile, struck 36 Bundesliga goals for Bayern Munich and accumulated 68 goal contributions in all competitions, and enters the tournament with 79 goals in 114 England caps.

With Haaland and Mbappe both on two goals from their opening fixtures, the race for the World Cup Golden Boot is already taking shape. Lionel Messi temporarily leads the charts after a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, the 39-year-old showing no signs of relinquishing his place among the tournament’s most dangerous attackers.