FIFA World Cup 2026, Golden Boot: Lionel Messi once again took the lead in the Golden Boot standings following his solitary goal in the Round of 16 clash against Egypt. It was the eighth goal of the tournament for the Argentine skipper. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have scored seven goals each in the tournament, following Messi on the rankings. Messi’s goal was part of a historic comeback from Argentina after the defending champions found themselves trailing by two goals. It was in the 79th minute that Messi provided his first assist and then scored the equalising goal in the 83rd minute. Enzo Fernandez found the back of the net in the additional third minute of injury time to score the winner for Lionel Scaloni’s team.
Golden Boot Rankings: Most goals in FIFA World Cup 2026
Lionel Messi took the lead in the Golden Boot standings after scoring a goal in the Round of 16. The Argentine forward scored his eighth goal of the tournament. Earlier, in the clash, Messi had an opportunity to score from the spot, but he missed his second penalty of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Here is the Golden Boot list of the players with the most goals in the FIFA World Cup 2026:
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Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 Goals
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Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 Goals
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Kylian Mbappe (France) – 7 Goals
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Harry Kane (England) – 6 Goals
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Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 4 Goals
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Ousmane Dembele (France) – 4 Goals
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Jude Bellingham (England) – 4 Goals
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Vinicius Jr (Brazil) – 4 Goals
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Julian Quinones (Mexico) – 4 Goals
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Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 4 Goals
Most goals in FIFA World Cup History
Lionel Messi, leading the all-time goal-scoring charts in FIFA World Cup history, added yet another goal to his tally. The Argentine skipper now has 21 goals in football’s biggest tournament. Here is a look at the top five:
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Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 21 Goals
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Kylian Mbappe (France) – 19 Goals
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Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16 Goals
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Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15 Goals
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Gerd Muller (Germany) – 14 Goals
FIFA World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi leads Argentina to quarter-finals
Lionel Messi provided an assist and scored a goal in what was once again a complete performance from the Argentine skipper. The forward extended his record of scoring in the most consecutive games in the FIFA World Cup. He provided his first assist in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and broke the record for providing the most assists in FIFA World Cup history. His two goal involvements helped Argentina to register a comeback win against Egypt after conceding two goals.
Has Lionel Messi ever won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot?
No, Lionel Messi has never won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot. However, the Argentine skipper has won the Golden Ball (awarded to the best player in the tournament) twice. Messi first won the coveted award in 2014 as Argentina finished as runner-up against Germany. The winger then won the award again as he lifted the trophy in 2022.
Has Erling Haaland ever won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot?
No, Erling Haaland has never won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot. Notably, the Norwegian forward is playing in his first World Cup but is the second joint-highest goal-scorer in the tournament along with Kylian Mbappe. Haaland has scored in each of his first four games so far in the FIFA World Cup.
Has Kylian Mbappe ever won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot?
Yes, Kylian Mbappe has won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot previously. The French captain scored eight goals in 2022 to win the award, which included a hat-trick in the final against Argentina.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
