Related videos:
With eight goals in five matches, Lionel Messi stands alone at the top of the scoring table for the following a journey that has become one of the most intense individual rivalries in the history of the tournament.
The Argentine captain took the lead after scoring the goal that made it 3-2 in the 83rd minute during the epic comeback of Argentina against Egypt at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this Tuesday, where the Albiceleste was trailing 0-2 before turning the game around with goals from Cristian Romero (79'), Messi (83'), and Enzo Fernández (93').
Before that match, the star of Inter Miami had already scored a hat trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria, and a goal each against Jordan and Cape Verde, accumulating a streak that makes him the most efficient player in the tournament with an average of 1.6 goals per match.
Behind Messi are Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, both with seven goals.
France reached that figure with a penalty converted against Paraguay in the round of 16, and France will face Morocco on Thursday, July 9, at Gillette Stadium.
Haaland, for his part, matched the record with a double against Brazil on July 5 at MetLife Stadium, a result that gave Norway a historic qualification to the quarter-finals for the first time in its World Cup history.
Harry Kane completes the group of candidates with six goals and one assist, and he will have a direct duel with Haaland when England faces Norway on Saturday, July 11, at Hard Rock Stadium, a matchup that could shake up the standings again.
The match has an additional element that makes it even more complex: the official tiebreaker criterion of the FIFA Golden Boot is the number of assists in case of a tie in goals.
In that regard, Mbappé has the advantage with two assists, Kane has one, while Messi and Haaland have yet to register any, making every collective play as crucial a factor as the shot on goal.
The recent history of the award adds more weight to the rivalry: at Qatar 2022, Mbappé won the Golden Boot with eight goals, while Messi finished second with seven; in Russia 2018, Kane won it with six goals.
The Argentine captain has never won that individual award at a World Cup, despite being the all-time leading scorer in the competition with 18 goals in total, a figure that surpasses Miroslav Klose's record (16 goals).
Argentina will face Switzerland also on Saturday, July 11, and Messi will have another chance to extend his lead in the race for an award that has always eluded him until now.
Filed under: