The French star striker took home the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot after a whopping 10 goals this summer.
crowned the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot winner , an award given to the tournament’s top goalscorer. It marked Mbappé’s second-consecutive time winning the award, after first walking away with it at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with eight total goals.
He is the only male player inwith 22 total, a number he achieved across just three tournaments . He was in battle for the record with Argentina soccer legend Lionel Messi, who ended with 21 total goals, a number the 39-year-old needed six tournaments to reach .
Now that the 2026 World Cup is finished, Mbappé will hold the record for at least four years, yet perhaps much longer, considering Messi is likely to retire before the 2030 edition. The player third on the list is retired German star, Miroslav Klose, with 16 goals. He held the record coming into this summer. Kylian Mbappé couldn’t get on the scoreboard against Spain, but took the lead in the Golden Boot race in the Bronze Final against England.
| Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated, Messi stood atop the podium in the Golden Boot race. He and Mbappé both had eight goals; however, Messi edged him out in the tiebreaker, which is assists, with four. , scoring a brace and adding an assist to overtake Messi. The Argentine would have needed to respond with a brace and assist of his own in Sunday’s World Cup final, or a hat-trick, to reclaim the Golden Boot.despite the scoreline.
Messi did not even take one shot at MetLife Stadium, nor a single touch in Spain’s box. Mbappé has firmly etched himself into World Cup history. While Messi might be heading for the exit door of his international career, Mbappé seems to be just getting started. Sophia Vesely is a writer, reporter and editor for SI FC, with an emphasis on North American coverage.
Her experience comes from regional journalism as a former sports reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, Dallas Morning News and Seattle Times. Vesely graduated from Swarthmore College, where she played collegiate soccer as a wingback. She specializes in MLS, NWSL and NCAA soccer.
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