Golden Boot battle steals the show at World Cup

The race for the World Cup Golden Boot, usually a secondary storyline, has become a central talking point of the 2026 tournament as the leading goalscorers are setting an unprecedented pace. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has already shattered the overall World Cup goal record, accumulating 18 goals over six tournaments after netting five in his first two matches in the United States.

Messi's remarkable performance includes a hat-trick against Algeria and two goals in a 2-0 victory over Austria, accounting for all of Argentina's goals so far. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni expressed his awe, stating, "We are amazed with him still, although we get to see him on a daily basis and he's been the best for 20 years. He still pulls it off every single match."

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We are amazed with him still, although we get to see him on a daily basis and he's been the best for 20 years. He still pulls it off every single match.

However, Messi faces stiff competition. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are hot on his heels with four goals apiece, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane remain in the mix. The long-standing single-tournament record of 13 goals, set by France's Just Fontaine in 1958, is now under threat. Gerd Muller's 10 goals in 1970 were the last time a player reached double figures in a single tournament.

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Leo always scores goals and always will. So I am not looking at what he is doing, I'm just focusing on helping my team.

Mbappe, who won the Golden Boot in Qatar four years ago with eight goals, is considered Messi's most likely challenger, especially given France's potential for a deep run in the tournament. The French forward, now France's all-time leading scorer, is only two goals behind Messi's career World Cup total. Despite the intense competition, Mbappe stated his focus remains on helping his team, saying, "Leo always scores goals and always will. So I am not looking at what he is doing, I'm just focusing on helping my team."

Haaland is level with Mbappe on four goals and has been in exceptional form, scoring in his last 12 competitive appearances for Norway. The Manchester City forward, however, played down his scoring prowess, describing himself as "just really good at scoring goals and I'm quite lucky."

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It's like many other things, I'm just really good at scoring goals and I'm quite lucky. I don't know what I'm doing. It's just how it is.