Mbappe Leaves Behind Messi In World Cup Tally, Big Twist In Golden Boot Race

The FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place match between France and England turned out to be an absolute goal-fest that saw Thomas Tuchel's men emerge victorious, beating the 2018 World Cup winners 6-4 on Saturday. Bukayo Saka's hat-trick gave England a winning exit from the tournament, but it was France captain Kylian Mbappe who jumped to the number 1 spot in the list of top goalscorers in World Cup history. With his brace against England, Mbappe leapfrogged Lionel Messi as the highest goalscorer in World Cups, bagging his 21st and 22nd goals in tournament history.

After a relatively quiet first half, Mbappe scored his first goal of the game in the 48th minute before adding a second in the 66th. The two goals saw him go past Messi, who is set to play for Argentina in the final of the World Cup on Sunday. The Argentine is currently sitting on 21 goals but has the opportunity to reclaim his lead in the title-decider against Spain.

The Real Madrid striker has now scored in every stage of the World Cup (group stage, Round of 32, Round of 16, quarterfinals, third-place playoff and final) except the semifinal. In fact, he is yet to score a single goal in the three semifinals he has played in.

With his two strikes against England, Mbappe also leads the Golden Boot race in this World Cup, with 10 goals and 4 assists to his name. Messi, on the other hand, is sitting in the second spot with 8 goals and 4 assists. The Argentina captain will win the Golden Boot if he scores at least 2 goals and gives one assist against Spain in the final.

Here is the current Golden Boot standings list for the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

1. Kylian Mbappe | Goals: 10, Assists: 4

2. Lionel Messi | Goals: 8, Assists: 4

3. Erling Haaland | Goals: 7, Assists: 0

4. Jude Bellingham | Goals: 7, Assists: 1

5. Harry Kane | Goals: 6, Assists: 1

6. Ousmane Dembele | Goals: 6, Assists: 2

The Golden Boot race sets up a thrilling sub-plot for the final, especially from Messi's point of view. The 39-year-old is not just chasing international immortality for Argentina, but hunting a specific multi-goal performance to secure individual supremacy over his successor.

Source: NDTV Trending