Kylian Mbappe has set a new record by becoming the first player to secure the World Cup Golden Boot on two separate occasions following his top-scoring performance at the 2026 tournament. The French forward found the back of the net 10 times across eight matches, narrowly defeating Lionel Messi in the competition for the honor.
Having previously topped the charts at Qatar 2022 with eight goals, this victory marks consecutive Golden Boot awards for the 27-year-old. His 10-goal tally makes him the first man to hit double figures in a single tournament since Gerd Muller in 1970. Only Sandor Kocsis and Just Fontaine have managed higher single-tournament totals in history. With a career total of 22 goals, Mbappe now stands as the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history, moving ahead of Messi.
Although Mbappe scored twice in the bronze match, France ultimately fell 6-4 to England, securing fourth place. Messi concluded his tournament with eight goals after failing to score in Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the final. In the goalkeeping category, Spain’s Unai Simon was awarded the Golden Glove. Simon maintained seven clean sheets throughout the tournament, conceding only one goal in eight matches and playing a pivotal role in Spain’s title-winning run.
