Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are tied at seven goals apiece, but Mbappé’s assists give him the edge as Haaland, Kane and others push into the Golden Boot race.
The race for the World Cup’s Golden Boot has turned into a showcase of the tournament’s biggest stars, with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi tied atop the scoring charts and a handful of other names closing in fast as the knockout rounds intensify.
Mbappé and Messi share the top spot
Both Mbappé and Messi sit at seven goals each, but Mbappé holds the tiebreaker thanks to two assists compared to Messi’s none, a distinction that matters since assists serve as the deciding factor when goal totals are level. Mbappé reached seven with a calm penalty conversion in France’s Round of 16 win over Paraguay on Saturday, while Messi got there a day earlier with a well placed finish in Argentina’s win over Cape Verde, using the outside of his boot to beat the goalkeeper in the 29th minute.
That goal extended a remarkable streak for the 39-year-old Messi, who has now scored in eight consecutive World Cup matches dating back to the 2022 tournament. Both players have already surpassed longtime record holder Miroslav Klose’s mark of 16 career World Cup goals, with Mbappé now at 19 and Messi holding the outright record at 20.
Neither player has fully settled the Golden Boot question in his career. Mbappé won the honor in 2022, the same tournament in which his team fell to Argentina on penalties in the final. Messi has never claimed the award despite his sustained scoring record across multiple World Cups.
Haaland, Kane and others closing the gap
Norway’s Erling Haaland has matched the leading pair at seven goals after scoring twice against Brazil on Sunday, though he trails both Mbappé and Messi on the tiebreaker. Haaland’s tournament has also carried historical weight for Norway, as he became the country’s all time leading World Cup scorer just two matches into the tournament.
England captain Harry Kane sits two goals back at five, having delivered a pair of goals in England’s Round of 32 win over DR Congo, including a decisive strike in the 86th minute. Kane, who won the Golden Boot in 2018, has also moved past Gary Lineker to become England’s leading World Cup scorer, keeping him firmly in contention for a second career Golden Boot.
France’s Ousmane Dembele and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal sit further back with four goals apiece, each aided by assists of their own. Dembele, Messi and Canada’s Jonathan David have each recorded hat tricks so far this tournament, with David’s three-goal effort coming during Canada’s historic 6-0 win over Qatar, the country’s first ever World Cup victory.
Chasing a record that has stood for decades
Beyond the current standings, several contenders remain in pursuit of a much older benchmark. Just Fontaine’s record of 13 goals in a single World Cup, set in 1958, has stood for nearly seven decades and been matched in double figures by only two other players since, West Germany’s Gerd Muller in 1970 and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis in 1954.
With seven players still holding at least four goals as the knockout stage progresses, the Golden Boot race remains far from settled. Both the individual scoring title and the historical records tied to it are likely to stay in play deep into the tournament’s final rounds.