Lionel Messi has taken the lead over Kylian Mbappé in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race following Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 semifinal victory over England.
While Messi did not find the net in the semifinal, the Argentina captain played a crucial role by providing two important assists, increasing his tournament contribution to eight goals and four assists.
Mbappé also has eight goals in the tournament, but with fewer assists — currently standing at three assists. Under FIFA’s Golden Boot tiebreaker criteria, the player with more assists receives the advantage when goals are equal.
Messi now enters the World Cup final against Spain in contention for two of football’s biggest honours: the Golden Boot and the FIFA World Cup trophy.
The race between two generations of football superstars has added another exciting storyline to the tournament, with fans eagerly awaiting the final outcome.
- Messi leads Golden Boot race after semifinal victory.
- Messi: 8 goals and 4 assists.
- Mbappé: 8 goals and 3 assists.
- FIFA tiebreaker gives advantage to Messi.
- Argentina captain can win both Golden Boot and World Cup trophy.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is based on available reports. The featured image is AI-generated and used for reference purposes.
