{"id":17129,"date":"2026-07-09T23:29:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?p=17129"},"modified":"2026-07-09T23:29:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:59:11","slug":"golden-boot-race-5-messi-pulls-clear-haaland-and-mbappe-give-chase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/golden-boot-race-5-messi-pulls-clear-haaland-and-mbappe-give-chase\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden Boot Race 5: Messi Pulls Clear, Haaland and Mbapp\u00e9 Give Chase"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Round of 16 is done. Four quarter-finals await. And at the top of the Golden Boot standings, something extraordinary is happening: a 39-year-old in the twilight of the greatest individual career football has ever seen is outscoring the two most lethal forwards of their generation.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-black ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Page Contents:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/golden-boot-race-5-messi-pulls-clear-haaland-and-mbappe-give-chase\/#Messi_%E2%80%94_Eight_Goals_and_Counting\" title=\"Messi \u2014 Eight Goals and Counting\">Messi \u2014 Eight Goals and Counting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/golden-boot-race-5-messi-pulls-clear-haaland-and-mbappe-give-chase\/#Mbappe_and_Haaland_%E2%80%94_Seven_Each_Very_Different_Paths\" title=\"Mbapp\u00e9 and Haaland \u2014 Seven Each, Very Different Paths\">Mbapp\u00e9 and Haaland \u2014 Seven Each, Very Different Paths<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/golden-boot-race-5-messi-pulls-clear-haaland-and-mbappe-give-chase\/#Kane_%E2%80%94_Six_Goals_and_Englands_Last_Hope\" title=\"Kane \u2014 Six Goals and England&#8217;s Last Hope\">Kane \u2014 Six Goals and England&#8217;s Last Hope<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/golden-boot-race-5-messi-pulls-clear-haaland-and-mbappe-give-chase\/#The_Chasing_Pack_%E2%80%94_Four_Goals_Each\" title=\"The Chasing Pack \u2014 Four Goals Each\">The Chasing Pack \u2014 Four Goals Each<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Watch every <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\"><i>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/i><\/a><i> quarter-final live on ZEE 5. With <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/myaccount\/subscription?plan-ref=0-11-7467&amp;asset-ref=0-6-4z5914493&amp;visibility=SELECTED&amp;context=FIFA\"><i>ZEE 5 FIFA Subscription\u00a0 <\/i><\/a><i>Quarterly Plan at \u20b9799 and don&#8217;t miss a goal in the race for the Golden Boot.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Messi_%E2%80%94_Eight_Goals_and_Counting\"><\/span><b>Messi \u2014 Eight Goals and Counting<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Eight goals at a FIFA World Cup. There is simply no framework for what Lionel Messi is doing at this tournament. The goal against Egypt in the 83rd minute \u2014 his eighth of the tournament \u2014 arrived in the kind of circumstances Messi has always reserved for when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/argentina\/argentina-squad\">Argentina <\/a>need him most. Trailing 2-1, on the brink of elimination, he pulled one back \u2014 the equaliser. That is not a coincidence. That is who he is.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mbappe_and_Haaland_%E2%80%94_Seven_Each_Very_Different_Paths\"><\/span><b>Mbapp\u00e9 and Haaland \u2014 Seven Each, Very Different Paths<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and Erling Haaland are level on seven goals, separated only by assists \u2014 Mbapp\u00e9 has two, Haaland has none. But the way each player has reached seven tells you everything about how differently they operate.<\/p>\n<p>Mbapp\u00e9 has been central to every attacking phase for France. His involvement is constant \u2014 pressing, combining, creating, and finishing. The two assists, alongside seven goals, reflect a player who is genuinely involved in the entire offensive system, not just the final touch. He is everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>Haaland is the opposite. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/norway\/norway-squad\">Norway <\/a>have played disciplined, possession-based football for long stretches of every match at this tournament. Haaland has been cut off, starved, managed. Seven goals from that volume of isolation is outstanding. He does not need the ball often. He just needs it once, in the right place, at the right moment \u2014 and it is in the net before the goalkeeper has processed that it was ever in danger.<\/p>\n<p>With France and Norway both still alive, the race between Mbapp\u00e9 and Haaland \u2014 and whether either can close the gap on Messi \u2014 will be one of the tournament&#8217;s defining subplots.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kane_%E2%80%94_Six_Goals_and_Englands_Last_Hope\"><\/span><b>Kane \u2014 Six Goals and England&#8217;s Last Hope<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Harry Kane sits fourth with six goals and one assist. At previous tournaments, that total would have made him the frontrunner. At this one, with Messi, Mbapp\u00e9, and Haaland all ahead of him, it places him firmly in the chasing pack. England face Norway in the quarter-finals \u2014 and if Kane finds the net against a Norwegian defence, the gap at the top could close.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Chasing_Pack_%E2%80%94_Four_Goals_Each\"><\/span><b>The Chasing Pack \u2014 Four Goals Each<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Jude Bellingham all sit on four goals and are still active in the tournament. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9&#8217;s two assists alongside his four goals underscore his importance to France&#8217;s attacking system. Oyarzabal has been clinical for Spain in the role Deschamps would love to have available. Bellingham&#8217;s four goals from midfield \u2014 arriving at the right moment, from the right position \u2014 reflect what makes him England&#8217;s most complete attacking contributor.<\/p>\n<p>Johan Manzambi of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/switzerland\/switzerland-squad\">Switzerland <\/a>and Ismael Saibari of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/morocco\/morocco-squad\">Morocco <\/a>round out the top nine. Manzambi&#8217;s two assists alongside his three goals have been part of the reason Switzerland have progressed further than most expected. Saibari&#8217;s three goals have been pivotal in Morocco&#8217;s run \u2014 direct, physical, and reliable in the moments when the match needed a decisive touch.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With eight goals to defend and two or three matches potentially still to play, Messi&#8217;s lead is real \u2014 but not untouchable. Mbapp\u00e9 and Haaland both have the capacity to score at a rate that makes eight feel within reach and eventually win. The Golden Boot race is far from over.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>The FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 quarter-finals begin July 10. Every match is live in India on ZEE 5.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Disclaimer: Subscription pack prices are subject to change from time to time. Please visit the subscription page for the most up-to-date pricing information.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Round of 16 is done. Four quarter-finals await. And at the top of the Golden Boot standings, something extraordinary is happening: a 39-year-old in the twilight of the greatest individual career football has ever seen is outscoring the two most lethal forwards of their generation. &nbsp; Watch every FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 quarter-final live [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":15163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3019],"tags":[3031,3540],"class_list":["post-17129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-golden-boot-race-5"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Sourav K","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/sourav-k\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Golden Boot Race 5: Messi Pulls Clear, Haaland and Mbapp\u00e9 Give Chase<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"FIFA 2026\u2122 Golden Boot race\u2014Messi leads Mbapp\u00e9 and Haaland after the R16.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/golden-boot-race-5-messi-pulls-clear-haaland-and-mbappe-give-chase\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Golden Boot Race 5: Messi Pulls Clear, Haaland and Mbapp\u00e9 Give Chase\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"FIFA 2026\u2122 Golden Boot 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