World Cup 2026: Kylian Mbappe becomes first player to win Golden Boot twice as Rodri named best player
Kylian Mbappe became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot award twice after winning the top scorer award in the 2026 tournament.
The French forward scored 10 goals in eight matches, leaving Lionel Messi behind in a quality race.
Mbappe, who became the top scorer in Qatar 2022 by scoring eight goals, won the Golden Shoe award in consecutive World Cups.
The 27-year-old player became the first player to score double-digit goals in the World Cup since Gerd Müller with West Germany in 1970.
Only Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals for France in 1958, and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis, who scored 11 in 1954, have scored more individual goals in a single tournament.
Mbappe also became the men’s World Cup all-time top scorer with 22 goals, one ahead of Messi.
World champions Spain swept the remaining awards, including captain Rodri winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player.
Mbappe got ahead of Messi by scoring two goals in the bronze match on Saturday, but he could not prevent France from losing 6-4 to England and taking fourth place.
“Scoring so many goals in the World Cup definitely takes you to a new level,” he said after Saturday’s match in Miami.
“But I would rather not be the top scorer and play in the final. It will be good for my legacy when I retire, but that’s not what’s on my mind right now.”
Mbappe also scored two goals against Senegal and Iraq in the group stage, as well as against Sweden in the last 32.
He followed this with goals against Paraguay, which won from a penalty in the 70th minute in the last 16, and against Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Messi could top Real Madrid with a hat-trick in Sunday’s World Cup final.
However, the 39-year-old player could not find the net as the Argentinian team lost 1-0 to Spain in New Jersey and ended the league by scoring 8 goals in as many matches.
While England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland scored seven goals, France’s forward Ousmane Dembele and English captain Harry Kane followed them with six goals.
