Former England national team players Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney are pushing FIFA to revise the rules surrounding the third-place playoff match. Their comments follow Kylian Mbappe winning the Golden Boot award, edging out Lionel Messi. Mbappe reached a total of 10 goals after scoring twice in a 6-4 loss to England. Meanwhile, Messi remained at eight goals after Argentina struggled to create chances against a defensive Spain side in a final that lasted 120 minutes. Without a goal in the final, Messi finished two behind the French star.
Shearer argued during a BBC broadcast that the bronze medal match feels like a casual exhibition, noting that France had already been eliminated from tournament contention before those goals were added. He contrasted the difficulty of facing a strong Spanish defense with the scenario faced by the French forward. Rooney echoed these sentiments, suggesting that goals from a consolation playoff should not count toward the prestigious individual honor. He explicitly stated that awarding the prize in this manner feels unfair to Messi, who would have won the trophy via a tie-breaker on assists had the totals been equal. Following their 1-0 victory in the final match, Spain claimed all of the individual tournament honors.
