{"id":17595,"date":"2026-07-20T23:06:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?p=17595"},"modified":"2026-07-20T23:06:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:36:28","slug":"the-verdict-golden-boot-golden-glove-and-best-young-player-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/the-verdict-golden-boot-golden-glove-and-best-young-player-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Verdict \u2014 Golden Boot, Golden Glove and Best Young Player at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One hundred and four matches. The trophy has been lifted. And now the individual awards \u2014 the ones that tell the story of the tournament through the lens of the most impactful players. Three awards. Three players. Three stories worth telling.<\/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\/the-verdict-golden-boot-golden-glove-and-best-young-player-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2026\/#Golden_Boot_%E2%80%94_Kylian_Mbappe_France_10_Goals\" title=\"Golden Boot \u2014 Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 (France) | 10 Goals\">Golden Boot \u2014 Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 (France) | 10 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\/the-verdict-golden-boot-golden-glove-and-best-young-player-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2026\/#Golden_Glove_%E2%80%94_Unai_Simon_Spain\" title=\"Golden Glove \u2014 Unai Sim\u00f3n (Spain)\">Golden Glove \u2014 Unai Sim\u00f3n (Spain)<\/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\/the-verdict-golden-boot-golden-glove-and-best-young-player-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2026\/#Best_Young_Player_%E2%80%94_Pau_Cubarsi_Spain_19_Years_Old\" title=\"Best Young Player \u2014 Pau Cubars\u00ed (Spain) | 19 Years Old\">Best Young Player \u2014 Pau Cubars\u00ed (Spain) | 19 Years Old<\/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\/the-verdict-golden-boot-golden-glove-and-best-young-player-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2026\/#Three_Awards_One_Tournament\" title=\"Three Awards, One Tournament\">Three Awards, One Tournament<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Relive every award-winning performance from the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\"><i>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/i><\/a><i> 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 <\/i><\/a><i>Quarterly Plan at \u20b9799 or the Annual Plan at \u20b91,699 for full match replays and tournament coverage.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Golden_Boot_%E2%80%94_Kylian_Mbappe_France_10_Goals\"><\/span><b>Golden Boot \u2014 Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 (<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/france\/france-squad\"><b>France<\/b><\/a><b>) | 10 Goals<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Golden Boot was never really in doubt once the third-place match in Miami ended. Ten goals across eight matches \u2014 four in the group stage, then a steady rhythm of devastating contributions through the knockouts, and finally two against England in the third-place match. Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 wins the award and, in doing so, makes history as the first player to win the FIFA World Cup\u2122 Golden Boot twice. He won it in Qatar in 2022 with eight goals. He wins it again in 2026 with ten.<\/p>\n<p>The race was genuinely tight going into the final week. Lionel Messi had led the goal tally through much of the tournament and held the tiebreaker advantage on assists as both players reached eight goals heading into the final and the third-place match. The third-place match gave Mbapp\u00e9 the platform he needed \u2014 two goals against England, the second of which broke the all-time FIFA World Cup\u2122 scoring record and took his career tally to 22 goals across three tournaments.<\/p>\n<p>Messi finishes with eight goals and four assists, and Jude Bellingham finishes with seven goals and one assist, setting an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/england\/england-squad\">England <\/a>record in the process. But Mbapp\u00e9&#8217;s ten goals, spread across both the group stage and the knockouts, make the clearest case of all. The Golden Boot is his again.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Golden_Glove_%E2%80%94_Unai_Simon_Spain\"><\/span><b>Golden Glove \u2014 Unai Sim\u00f3n (<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/spain\/spain-squad\"><b>Spain<\/b><\/a><b>)<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Seven clean sheets from eight matches. One goal conceded across the entire FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122. Unai Sim\u00f3n&#8217;s case for the Golden Glove was built game by game, week by week, through the quietest most dominant performance a goalkeeper has produced at a World Cup in living memory.<\/p>\n<p>The paradox of Sim\u00f3n&#8217;s tournament is that his numbers look modest on the surface \u2014 relatively few saves, no dramatic penalty heroics, no single moment of individual brilliance that defined his campaign \u2014 and yet that is precisely the point. Spain&#8217;s defensive system, anchored by Rodri and the centre-back pairing of Pau Cubars\u00ed and Aymeric Laporte, rarely exposed him to genuine danger. When danger did arrive, Sim\u00f3n dealt with it cleanly, efficiently, and without fuss. His sweeper-keeper work \u2014 stepping off his line to cut out counter-attacks before they developed \u2014 was among the most important defensive contributions any individual made in the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>The closest challenger was Emiliano Mart\u00ednez, who made ten saves in the Final alone and carried Argentina&#8217;s goalkeeping burden with the authority of a man who has won this award before. But Sim\u00f3n&#8217;s clean sheet record and the overall consistency of Spain&#8217;s defensive structure \u2014 which he commanded from first game to last \u2014 made the verdict straightforward. One goal conceded in eight matches. The Golden Glove belongs to Unai Sim\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_Young_Player_%E2%80%94_Pau_Cubarsi_Spain_19_Years_Old\"><\/span><b>Best Young Player \u2014 Pau Cubars\u00ed (<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/spain\/spain-squad\"><b>Spain<\/b><\/a><b>) | 19 Years Old<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>History was made before the trophy was even handed over. Pau Cubars\u00ed became the first pure defender in the history of football to win the FIFA Young Player Award \u2014 and by the time Spain had lifted the World Cup, it was difficult to argue with the decision.<\/p>\n<p>Cubars\u00ed started all eight matches for Spain. He was nineteen years old in every single one of them. He played all 750 minutes of the tournament \u2014 from the first group game to the 120th minute of the Final against Argentina. It was hard to believe a teenager could play with so much confidence and composure. The backline he anchored kept seven clean sheets and conceded just one goal across the entire tournament. The quickest any player in World Cup history has reached six clean sheets.<\/p>\n<p>In the Final against Argentina, Cubars\u00ed produced the defining individual defensive performance of the tournament. He completed 121 passes with 96% accuracy. He made six clearances while completely neutralising Lionel Messi. His stats are similar to a dominant midfielder at the peak of his powers, not a teenager making his World Cup debut.<\/p>\n<p>The conversation around Lamine Yamal was real \u2014 his attacking influence on Spain&#8217;s right flank was a constant. He scored his only goal against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/saudi-arabia\/saudi-arabia-squad\">Saudi Arabia<\/a>. But Cubars\u00ed contributed to Spain\u2019s second goal against France in the semi-finals and held the Spanish backline against world-class strikers. The trophy is well deserved.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Three_Awards_One_Tournament\"><\/span><b>Three Awards, One Tournament<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Mbapp\u00e9 for goals. Sim\u00f3n for discipline. Cubars\u00ed for the future. The three awards, taken together, tell the story of a FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 that produced extraordinary individual performances alongside collective excellence. Two of the three winners are Spanish \u2014 a reflection of how completely De la Fuente&#8217;s side dominated the tournament from first match to last. The third is the man who made history in Miami and left with the Golden Boot and the all-time scoring record.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Every award, every winner, every moment \u2014 watch the full FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 on ZEE 5. Available now on replay.<\/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>One hundred and four matches. The trophy has been lifted. And now the individual awards \u2014 the ones that tell the story of the tournament through the lens of the most impactful players. Three awards. Three players. Three stories worth telling. &nbsp; Relive every award-winning performance from the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 on ZEE 5. [&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":[3640,3031,3232,3664],"class_list":["post-17595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-best-young-player","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-golden-boot","tag-golden-glove"],"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>The Verdict \u2014 Golden Boot, Golden Glove and Best Young Player at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/title>\n<meta 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