NEW YORK: France’s talismanic forward Kylian Mbappé has officially won the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The race for the tournament’s top scorer concluded dramatically after Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi failed to find the back of the net in the final match, sealing the award for the Real Madrid star.
This marks the second consecutive World Cup where Mbappé has edged past Messi to claim the prestigious individual honor, replicating his feat from the Qatar 2022 edition.
A Record-Breaking Campaign
Mbappé finished the 2026 tournament with an outstanding tally of 10 goals. He solidified his lead over the weekend during the third-place play-off against England, where he scored a brace. Messi, who entered the final weekend with 8 goals and 4 assists, couldn’t add to his tally as the crown passed from Argentina.
During this World Cup campaign, the 27-year-old Mbappé also shattered the all-time tournament record, becoming the highest goalscorer in World Cup history with 22 career goals. Behind Mbappé and Messi, England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland finished third and fourth respectively, with 7 goals each. Meanwhile, Spain’s maestro Rodri took home the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament.
