Sunday, July 19, 2026 15:53 | 1 minute read

Messi during Argentina training. (AFP)

Argentina's Lionel Messi enters the 2026 World Cup final against Spain competing with France's Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot award, after the latter increased his tally to 10 goals, compared to 8 goals for the Argentine captain.

Messi needs to score 3 goals to snatch the Golden Boot, while scoring two goals would tie him with Mbappe, with the ranking to be decided according to FIFA criteria.

Advantage in minutes

The two players are tied in assists with 4 each. If the tie in goals persists, the advantage goes to the player who has played fewer minutes. Mbappe's playing time stands at 769 minutes, compared to 712 minutes for Messi, not counting the final match.

Market value gap

Messi's market value is 15 million euros, while Mbappe's value reaches 180 million euros, according to data from Transfermarkt, despite the ongoing competition between them for the top individual awards in the tournament.

Historic ongoing race

The competition between the two stars is not limited to the Golden Boot in the 2026 edition, but extends to the top of the all-time World Cup scorers list, with Mbappe leading the list with 22 goals, one goal ahead of Messi with 21 goals, while Germany's Miroslav Klose is third with 16 goals, and Brazil's Ronaldo is fourth with 15 goals.

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