{"id":17472,"date":"2026-07-16T17:13:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?p=17472"},"modified":"2026-07-16T17:13:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:43:29","slug":"golden-boot-race-messi-vs-mbappe-and-two-matches-left-to-decide-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/golden-boot-race-messi-vs-mbappe-and-two-matches-left-to-decide-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden Boot Race: Messi vs Mbapp\u00e9, and Two Matches Left to Decide It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Two matches remain in the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122. The 3rd-place match between France and England. And the Final, between Spain and Argentina. Before those matches are played, the Golden Boot race sits at its most dramatic point \u2014 two players level on goals, one advantage separating them, and completely different stages to perform on.<\/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-messi-vs-mbappe-and-two-matches-left-to-decide-it\/#1_vs_2_%E2%80%94_Messi_and_Mbappe_Level_on_Goals\" title=\"1 vs 2 \u2014 Messi and Mbapp\u00e9, Level on Goals\">1 vs 2 \u2014 Messi and Mbapp\u00e9, Level on Goals<\/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-messi-vs-mbappe-and-two-matches-left-to-decide-it\/#Messis_Advantage_Stage_and_Momentum\" title=\"Messi&#8217;s Advantage: Stage and Momentum\">Messi&#8217;s Advantage: Stage and Momentum<\/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-messi-vs-mbappe-and-two-matches-left-to-decide-it\/#Mbappe_The_3rd_Place_Match_and_One_Last_Chance\" title=\"Mbapp\u00e9: The 3rd Place Match and One Last Chance\">Mbapp\u00e9: The 3rd Place Match and One Last Chance<\/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-messi-vs-mbappe-and-two-matches-left-to-decide-it\/#Haaland_Bellingham_and_Kane\" title=\"Haaland, Bellingham, and Kane\">Haaland, Bellingham, and Kane<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Watch the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\"><i>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/i><\/a><i> Final and 3rd Place match live on ZEE 5 \u2014 <\/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>ZEE5 FIFA Subscription <\/i><\/a><i>to the Quarterly Plan at \u20b9799 and don&#8217;t miss the finish.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_vs_2_%E2%80%94_Messi_and_Mbappe_Level_on_Goals\"><\/span><b>1 vs 2 \u2014 Messi and Mbapp\u00e9, Level on Goals<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Eight goals each. The two greatest attackers of their generation have arrived at the end of a FIFA World Cup\u2122 tournament with identical goal tallies. They have both played 7 matches.<\/p>\n<p>The tiebreaker, currently, is assists. Messi has four. Mbapp\u00e9 has three. By that measure, Messi leads today. But both can still score \u2014 Mbapp\u00e9 in the 3rd Place match against England, Messi in the Final against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/spain\/spain-squad\">Spain<\/a>. The race is not over. It is just entering its final stage.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Messis_Advantage_Stage_and_Momentum\"><\/span><b>Messi&#8217;s Advantage: Stage and Momentum<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Messi is in the Final. He was the Player of the Match in the semi-final against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/england\/england-squad\">England <\/a>\u2014 two assists, the oldest outfield player in FIFA World Cup\u2122 semi-final history, and heading into the biggest match in football against the best defensive team in the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>There is also the matter of what Messi has already shown in this tournament. He has scored or assisted in every match <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/argentina\/argentina-squad\">Argentina <\/a>have played. He made his most impactful contributions exactly when Argentina needed them most in almost every match. Spain&#8217;s defence is excellent \u2014 Unai Sim\u00f3n&#8217;s positioning, Rodri and Ruiz controlling the midfield \u2014 but they have not faced Messi in this kind of form.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mbappe_The_3rd_Place_Match_and_One_Last_Chance\"><\/span><b>Mbapp\u00e9: The 3rd Place Match and One Last Chance<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/france\/france-squad\">France <\/a>play England in the 3rd Place match. Mbapp\u00e9, having led France&#8217;s attack to the semi-finals, has one more opportunity to add to his tally. England&#8217;s defence is solid but has been opened in this tournament. Historically, these matches tend to be high-scoring affairs. With Argentina playing against Spain, Mbapp\u00e9 has a real chance to get ahead. He had no shots at the goal in their previous match. We will have to wait and see if he can change that in their upcoming match against England.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Haaland_Bellingham_and_Kane\"><\/span><b>Haaland, Bellingham, and Kane<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Erling Haaland finishes his FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 with seven goals and no assists \u2014 the most goals of any eliminated player in this tournament. A remarkable tally for a player who never found the net in the match <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/norway\/norway-squad\">Norway <\/a>lost. He goes home as Norway&#8217;s all-time record scorer and one of the tournament&#8217;s top performers, but the Golden Boot is no longer his to chase. However, he scored his seven goals in five matches. He is the only player in this list with a goals-to-game ratio greater than 1. He leaves his mark in this tournament as well \u2014 the most lethal striker in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are both on six goals, both with one assist, and both playing in the 3rd Place match against France. Kane needs two goals to tie Messi and Mbapp\u00e9; Bellingham needs the same. Neither is impossible \u2014 Kane in particular has been clinical in front of goal all tournament. But catching the leaders in one match, against France&#8217;s defence, would require a historic individual performance.<\/p>\n<p>Two matches. Two chances. One trophy at stake \u2014 and the Golden Boot sitting tantalisingly between Messi&#8217;s left foot and Mbapp\u00e9&#8217;s right.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Watch every final match of the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 live on ZEE 5 \u2014 India&#8217;s home of the World Cup.<\/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>Two matches remain in the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122. The 3rd-place match between France and England. And the Final, between Spain and Argentina. Before those matches are played, the Golden Boot race sits at its most dramatic point \u2014 two players level on goals, one advantage separating them, and completely different stages to perform on. [&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":[3031,3621,3620],"class_list":["post-17472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-goals","tag-golden-boot-6"],"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: Messi vs Mbapp\u00e9, and Two Matches Left to Decide It<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"FIFA 2026: Messi and Mbapp\u00e9 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