A defender's view on how to stop the World Cup's best strikers

A defender's view on how to stop the World Cup's best strikersImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Four of the most in-form strikers in world football will look to add to their red-hot starts to the World Cup this weekByDale JohnsonFootball issues correspondentPublished22 June 2026415 CommentsA World Cup is always that little bit more special when the game's star names come to the party.And last week four of football's elite strikers announced their arrival in devastating fashion. It was as though each was spurred on by the performance of the others.Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe got the ball rolling by scoring twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal.That was emulated a couple of hours later by Manchester City's Erling Haaland in Norway's 4-1 win over Iraq.Then step forward Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami attacker proving his enduring class with a hat-trick as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0.Bayern Munich's Harry Kane then netted twice as England beat Croatia 4-2.Could this be the tournament of the star striker? And if you're up against them, how do you plan to stop them?Four very different players, with contrasting styles but who are equally effective.Former Everton and Wales defender Ashley Williams told BBC Sport how you might defend against them.On Messi: Push him into comfortable areasImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lionel Messi has scored 120 goals in 200 games for ArgentinaNext game: Austria, Monday 18:00 BSTMessi turns 39 on Wednesday, but you would not know it from his performance against Algeria. The forward's treble took him level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the World Cup's all-time top scorer on 16 goals - though Mbappe is just two behind.With Messi on this kind of form, and on 120 international goals, how do you halt him in his tracks?"It's more of a team effort," Williams said. "I always felt being a defender that you are hoping for a bit of luck."You'...