Messi vs Mbappe: Who will win the Golden Boot in Fifa World Cup 2022?

As the FIFA World Cup 2022 enters the quarter-finals, fans and football enthusiasts are wondering who will win the Golden Boot this time around. The Golden Boot is awarded to the highest-scoring player at the FIFA World Cup.  

This year, French striker Kylian Mbappe is on top of the list with five World Cup goals and is the top scorer at Qatar 2022. Lionel Messi is joint-second with three.  

Mbappe’s golden run 

Mbappe has been a force to be reckoned with in Qatar, registering seven goal involvements so far (five goals, and two assists). The 23-year-old started his journey this tournament with his goal against Australia in his team's opening Group D game. He then scored twice against Denmark in the second half, and pushed France into the round of 16. He couldn’t score against Tunisia. It is the only match France has lost so far.  

Against Poland, in the round of 16, he scored 2 goals in the 3-1 victory, taking his total to five. As per detailed data by FIFA, Mbappe so far has made the most attempts on goal, which is around 20. Assists are crucial because if two players tie for the number of goals at the end of the tournament, they are taken into account. Also, the person who played the fewest minutes wins if there is a tie on both counts. 

Mbappe also became the youngest player (23 years and 349 days) to score five goals in the knockout stage of the World Cup after Brazil football icon Pelé (1958). 

Messi in focus 

The 35-year-old Paris Saint Germain striker started his account with a penalty kick against Argentina’s fateful match against Saudi Arabia. He helped Enzo Fernandez to score against Mexico. Then he scored his marvel in the round of 16, where he shot two goals in Argentina's 2-1 against Australia. He has scored three goals so far.  

World cup records 

Among all players in Qatar before the knockout stage, Germany’s Thomas Muller had the most World Cup goals, with 10 strikes across four editions (2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022). 

German striker Miroslav Klose holds the record for the most goals scored in FIFA World Cups, netting 16 goals in four campaigns (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).  

Former Brazilian striker Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in his active years. 

At the FIFA World Cup 2022, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in five consecutive World Cups after opening his account in 2006. 

Messi in total has scored 9 goals in all the World Cups.