Kylian Mbappé etched his name deeper into football history after winning the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot, becoming the first player ever to claim the tournament’s top scorer award twice.
The France and Real Madrid superstar finished the tournament with 10 goals and four assists, comfortably securing the Golden Boot after Lionel Messi failed to score in Argentina’s 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the World Cup final.
Mbappé also became the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s FIFA World Cup history, taking his career tally to 22 goals and surpassing Messi’s previous record of 21.
The French forward sealed the Golden Boot race by scoring twice against England in the third-place playoff. Although France suffered a 6-4 defeat and finished fourth, his brace ensured he finished two goals ahead of Messi, who ended the tournament with eight goals.
By lifting the Golden Boot for a second time after first winning it at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mbappé became the first footballer to achieve the feat.
His remarkable campaign also placed him among an elite group of players to score at least 10 goals in a single World Cup, joining Just Fontaine (13 goals in 1958), Sándor Kocsis (11 goals in 1954) and Gerd Müller (10 goals in 1970).
Mbappé scored consistently throughout France’s run to the semifinals. He opened the tournament with two goals against Senegal, followed with another brace against Iraq, added two more against Sweden in the Round of 32, converted the winning penalty against Paraguay in the Round of 16, scored against Morocco in the quarterfinals, and finished with another two-goal performance against England in the third-place playoff.
Despite his individual success, Mbappé admitted he would have traded the award for a place in the World Cup final.
“When you score that many goals in the World Cup, it certainly takes you to a whole new level,” Mbappé said.
“But I would have preferred not to be the top scorer and to have played in the final. It’s good for my legacy once I’ve retired, but right now, that’s not what’s on my mind.”
Lionel Messi finished second in the Golden Boot standings with eight goals and four assists after guiding Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Norway striker Erling Haaland shared third place with seven goals each, while Harry Kane and Ousmane Dembélé both finished with six goals.
Although France left the tournament without a trophy, Mbappé’s record-breaking campaign ensured he departed the 2026 FIFA World Cup as its leading scorer and one of the greatest World Cup forwards in football history.
Spain, meanwhile, swept the remaining major FIFA awards after defeating Argentina in the final. Rodri claimed the Golden Ball, Unai Simón won the Golden Glove, Pau Cubarsí was named Best Young Player, and Ferran Torres scored the extra-time winner that secured Spain’s second FIFA World Cup title.
