Lionel Messi is on the cusp of achieving a career milestone: a World Cup Golden Boot.
With eight goals scored and one game left to play in the tournament, he is so close to winning it, but he has a few other players in contention.
The World Cup Golden Boot is a prize for the player who scores the most goals in the international tournament. And some of the top scorers are still in the tournament, even if they didn’t make it to the final game but rather the bronze match up.
Messi has never won a World Cup Golden Boot before, but he has won the Golden Ball twice in the World Cup, which is the prize for the best player in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappé, a man 11 years Messi’s junior, already won a Golden Boot in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and could win another.
Who could win the Golden Boot besides Messi?
Mbappé of France is in the running to get the Golden Boot, but so is England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane as well as Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal and France’s Ousmane Dembélé (as longshots).
At the time of writing, Mbappé has eight goals, Bellingham and Kane have six goals, Oyarzabal has five goals, and Dembélé has five goals. While Mbappé and Messi currently have the same number of goals, Messi has more assists putting him in the lead.
France is set to face off against England in a third-place play-off on Saturday, July 16, 2026. This marks the chance for either Mbappé, Bellingham, Kane, or Dembélé to outscore Messi.
This is a much taller task for Bellingham, Kane, and Dembélé, but not impossible.
However, Oyarzabal, who is in the World Cup finals against Messi, would have to have game of his life. He would have to score at least four goals surpass Messi and hold one of the all time greats to no goals.
How is the Golden Boot winner determined if there is a tie in number of goals?
If multiple players tie in goals, then the winner will be the one with the most assists. If they tie there as well, then it’s player who scored the most goals in the least amount of playing time.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Messi, Mbappé tied in goals. Who’s winning the World Cup Golden Boot?
