World Cup 2026: Kylian Mbappe leads Golden Boot race for the ages – over to you Lionel Messi

The centuries-old Golden Shoe race has a perfect finale; It will go until the final match of the tournament.

Kylian Mbappe’s two goals in France’s incredible 6-4 thrashing of England in the third-place play-off match put him two goals clear of Lionel Messi, but the Argentinian still has one game left to respond to.

If the 39-year-old player can score two goals in the final against Spain, provide more assists and receive the Golden Shoe award.

Anything less and Mbappe, 27, will become the first player to win the award twice.

That’s before we talk about the battle between the two men to become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.

Mbappe currently leads the race with 22 goals and is one behind Messi.

Mbappe’s double against England took him to 10 in the tournament; this was the highest number of points scored in a single series at the World Cup this century. The last player to reach double figures in a men’s World Cup was Gerd Muller for West Germany in 1970.

To put this achievement further into context, before this tournament only eight players had scored eight or more goals in a single World Cup: Muller, Just Fontaine, Sandor Kocsis, Ademir, Eusebio, Guillermo Stabile, Ronaldo and Mbappe.

The 2026 World Cup has definitely been a tournament for the stars.

England talisman Jude Bellingham’s goal against France moved him into third place in the Golden Boot table with seven points; this was the most goals scored by an Englishman in a single World Cup.

This moved him ahead of Erling Haaland in assists; Three Lions captain Harry Kane was a goal behind Frenchman Ousmane Dembele.