Mbappe wins second straight World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, Messi second with 8

Mbappé scored 10 goals at the 2026 World Cup, two more than his nearest rival Messi (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

By Thom Harris and Eduardo Tansley

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the World Cup final.

At last, it is official. Following Argentina’s extra-time defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, France’s Kylian Mbappé has won the Golden Boot.

It is the second time that the 27-year-old has won the award, having also finished as the top scorer at the 2022 edition in Qatar. In total, Mbappé has now racked up 22 World Cup goals across his career, one more than Lionel Messi in the all-time standings.

It was a dramatic race, with five players — Mbappé, Messi, Norway’s Erling Haaland, England’s Jude Bellingham, and teammate Harry Kane — all in contention throughout. The eventual winner Mbappé did not lead the way until his final game, scoring twice in a 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place play-off on Saturday to take him above Messi for the first time.

He also became the first player to score 10 in one edition of the tournament since Gerd Müller of West Germany in 1970. Just Fontaine holds the record for most goals in one World Cup, scoring 13 times in the 1958 edition.

Here is how Mbappé did it…

How Did He Score His Goals?

Mbappé’s historic run hinged on lethal finishing and lightning-quick runs in behind.

As we can see from his shot map below, he struck twice from outside the penalty area but was also dangerous when he could dart into the penalty area from the left-hand side.

The Real Madrid forward enjoyed the freedom afforded to him by manager Didier Deschamps. He linked up especially well with Michael Olise, who provided five assists for him throughout the competition.

Mbappé’s second goal against Sweden summed up their razor-sharp connection, latching onto the end of a clever reverse pass and finishing confidently into the far corner.

After five goals in his opening two games, Messi’s goalscoring output plateaued, but his influence on the Argentina team did not wane. With two assists against England in the semi-final, his creative magic carried Lionel Scaloni’s side to the final.

The 39-year-old struggled to get involved throughout a scrappy final against Spain, as Argentina failed to have a shot at goal until the 118th minute. It was a disappointing end to one of the legendary World Cup careers.

How Did Mbappé Break Clear?

Mbappé scored two second-half goals against England in the third-place play-off. He sidefooted into the far corner after being slipped through by Olise, before hammering home his second after a neat one-two.

Prior Golden Boot winners Eusébio (1966), Salvatore Schillaci (1990), Davor Šuker (1998), and Thomas Müller (2010) have all topped up their tallies by scoring in this match.

These matches have often been goal-fests, with two or more scored on every occasion since Poland’s 1-0 win against Brazil in 1974. Fontaine scored four times in France’s 6-3 defeat of West Germany in 1958 to set the still-standing record for most goals by an individual at one World Cup.