Messi could win the World Cup again, but this prized trophy may still elude him

Lionel Messi could win the World Cup again, but this prized trophy may still elude him. The Argentine superstar has won just about everything in football except the Golden Boot, the award for the tournament’s top scorer.

During the last weekend, Messi led the charts. However, Kylian Mbappe changed the whole equation on Saturday France’s wild 6-4 loss to England in the third-place match. Mbappe scored twice, taking his tournament tally to 10 goals. With these two goals, Mbappe has established himself in the Golden Boot race; and also overtook Messi on the list of top goalscorers in men’s FIFA World Cup history. Mbappe now has 22 career World Cup goals, one behind Messi.

With 10 goals in 2026, Mbappe became the first player to score 10 World Cup goals since Germany great Gerd Mller in 1970.

Messi, who currently has 8 goals, has a mountain to climb in Sunday’s final against Spain at MetLife Stadium.

The math is simple but incredibly hard. If Messi scores a single goal, it won’t be enough. If he scores twice, he will match Mbappe on 10 goals. In case of a tie, the player with the most assists wins the award. With both Messi and Mbappe currently tied on four assists, a simple brace would still keep them tied.

For Messi to win the Golden Boot outright, he needs a spectacular hat-trick or brace accompanied by an assist. If Argentina beat France and Messi finishes ahead of Mbappe in the goalscoring charts, he will become the first Golden Boot winner to lift the World Cup since Ronaldo scored eight goals for Brazil in 2002.

Golden Boot Race

Kylian Mbappe ended his 2026 campaign with 10 goals (Photo Reuters)

1. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 10 goals, 4 assists
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 goals, 4 assists
3. Juide Bellingham (England) – 7 goals, 1 assist
4. Erlng Haalang (Norway) – 7 goals, 0 assists
5. Ousmane Dembelle – 6 goals, 2 assists

But it won’t be easy.

Messi needs to achieve that against a defensive Spain team. Led by goalkeeper Unai Simón, La Roja reached the final after conceding just one single goal throughout the tournament. They are disciplined, possession-heavy machines that drive the engine from midfield, Rodri.

MESI FOR THE GOLDEN BALL?

Rodri was the absolute heart of Spain’s campaign, dictating the tempo with mechanical precision. He completed a record 648 passes during that tournament in North America, surpassing his own World Cup record of 638 in Qatar.

Alongside Rodri, Spain boasts 19-year-old winger Lamino Yamal, who provided attacking flair with 30 successful dribbles at the tournaments. Because of their huge impact on the tournament, both Rodri and Yamal are very much in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or, the award given to the tournament’s best player. This means that the Ballon d’Or race is far from over for Messi.

Messi is already the only player to win the Ballon d’Or twice, claiming it in 2014 and 2022. Leading his country to a second straight final at the age of 39 keeps him a massive favorite for a record-extending third.

But while individual honors such as the Ballon d’Or continue to be voted on by the media and FIFA’s technical group, the Golden Boot is decided by sheer numbers. Messi finished second in the goalscoring charts in 2022 and if he fails to break through Spain’s iron defense on Sunday, the elusive Boot could once again escape his legendary cabinet.

Football World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | football news

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

Jul 19, 2026 5:51 PM IST