Messi's record, Ronaldo's legacy and a guide to India's best colleges

JUNE 22-23 was magical for football fans, with the Argentine and French No. 10s making history at FIFA World Cup 2026. In Dallas, Lionel Messi scored a brace against Austria and became the highest goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history—18 goals. Messi surpassed the men’s record by Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16) and the overall record (17) by Brazil’s Marta.

In Philadelphia, Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against Iraq to tie Klose on the same day. And then, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals against Uzbekistan in Houston, becoming the first player to score in six FIFA World Cups. If I were to write an article linking all three, its headline would be: Brace for impact. With many more matches left in the tournament, history will be remade a few more times, I guess. As a fan of The Beautiful Game, I feel blessed to have lived in these times.

But one question remains in my mind: How did Messi/Mbappe/Ronaldo become exceptional footballers and not mediocre employees at some firm somewhere? Who made the choice for them? Obviously, it might not be just one choice but a string of them. But it would have begun somewhere, starting with the birth lottery of being born in footballing nations.

Colleges, too, are an important choice and a lottery, at times. Just by virtue of that one decision, lives and careers have changed. With our annual Best Colleges special issue, we aim to help our readers make an informed choice. As usual, it is accompanied by THE WEEK-Hansa survey on India’s Best Colleges. It is a twin issue written by Special Correspondent Abhinav Singh. The cover articles look at how premier institutes are reshaping engineers and how a simple mantra is shaping the thoughts of students—what problems can I solve.

As part of the cover story, Abhinav interviewed Subroto Bagchi, chairman, Odisha Skill Development Authority. He said that AI is a civilisational inflection point that will “democratise knowledge to a level we do not even comprehend today”.

Our FIFA World Cup coverage continues with contributor Job Rinol writing from Lisbon on Ronaldo and his comeback on the international stage. In politics, Senior Assistant Editor Pratul Sharma examines how splits in the opposition are bringing the BJP closer to the strength required for constitutional amendments.

Senior Special Correspondent Kanu Sarda and Special Correspondent Prema Rajaram cover an evolving framework that will help the Enforcement Directorate return money to victims of financial fraud more quickly.

A gripping story in this issue is Senior Assistant Editor Sanjib Kr Baruah’s reportage of an army recruitment that is making Delhi wary. More and more Mizo youth are joining the British Army, as citizens of Commonwealth countries are eligible to apply. Sanjib met the families and brings you a comprehensive report.

Correspondent Badar Bashir reports the Untold Story of the confidential green paper in the Congress party. It is literally a sheet of green paper, which is part of the party’s private internal communication system.

Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of Singapore, had a famous accessory—the “Red Box”. The 14cm-wide briefcase held his speeches, letters, notes, instructions, observations and reflections.

Former deputy prime minister of Singapore Heng Swee Keat was Lee’s principal personal secretary (PPS) from 1997 to 2000. Heng once told The Straits Times that the box could contain anything from notes on international affairs affecting Singapore to observations about an “ailing raintree” that he had passed on the way to work.

“When I worked as Mr Lee’s PPS, a good part of my daily life revolved around the red box. Before Mr Lee came in to work each day, the locked red box would arrive first, at about 9am,” Heng said.

And then, the shape of the official day would literally emerge from the Red Box.