Kylian Mbappé Becomes First Player to Win Two ‘Golden Boot’ Awards; Spain’s Rodri Named Best Player of the World Cup
Image source, Reuters
French forward Kylian Mbappé, who scored the most goals at the 2026 World Cup, has won the ‘Golden Boot’ for the second consecutive time.
He scored a total of 10 goals in the tournament, surpassing Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who scored 8.
Mbappé also won the Golden Boot at the 2022 Qatar World Cup with 8 goals.
Mbappé in History
Mbappé is the first player since Gerd Müller of West Germany in 1970 to score double-digit goals in multiple World Cups.
Just Fontaine of France scored 13 goals in 1958, and Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis scored 11 goals in 1954. These remain the highest individual goal tallies in a single World Cup tournament.
Mbappé has also set the record for most goals scored across multiple World Cup editions with a total of 22 goals, one more than Messi.
Although France lost 6-4 to England in a late-night match on Saturday, Mbappé scored two goals, further extending his lead over Messi and securing the Golden Boot after Messi failed to score in the final.
Image source, Reuters
He is the first player since Gerd Müller in 1970 to score double-digit goals across World Cups.
Just Fontaine of France scored 13 goals in 1958, and Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis had 11 goals in 1954.
“When you score so many goals at the World Cup, it definitely elevates you to a higher level,” Mbappé said after Saturday’s game in Miami.
“But I also wanted to win the top scorer title by scoring in the final. It would have been great for my legacy once I retire, but that’s not on my mind right now.”
Mbappé scored two goals each against Senegal and Iraq in the group stage and two against Sweden in the round of 32.
He netted one goal against Paraguay in the round of 16 and another against Morocco in the quarterfinal.
Had Messi scored a hat-trick in the final, he could have claimed the Golden Boot.
However, the 39-year-old Argentine failed to score in the match at New Jersey, capping his tournament tally at 8 goals.
England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland both scored 7 goals, while France’s Ousmane Dembélé and England’s captain Harry Kane each recorded 6 goals.
Mbappé holds the record for the highest number of World Cup goals, with 22 goals, putting him one ahead of Messi.
Even after France’s 6-4 loss to England on Saturday night, Mbappé scored twice, which cemented his position ahead of Messi and guaranteed the Golden Boot as Messi did not score in the final.
Rodri’s Remarkable Feat
Other significant awards in the 2026 tournament were won by Spanish players. Spain’s captain Rodri was named the tournament’s best player, earning the ‘Golden Ball’ award.
The Manchester City midfielder, representing Spain, played a decisive role in winning this second major individual honor for Spain in the competition.
Image source, Reuters
The 30-year-old Rodri received the Golden Ball from FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the final match.
This marks Rodri’s third individual award in his football career; he won the Ballon d’Or in 2023 and was named best player at Euro Cup 2024.
Other Award Winners
Lionel Messi was awarded the ‘Silver Ball’ as the second-best player of the tournament, while Mbappé received the ‘Bronze Ball’ as the third-best player.
Spain’s Unai Simón earned the ‘Golden Glove’ award for best goalkeeper.
In the competition, he conceded only one goal in eight matches.
He allowed a goal in the quarterfinal against Belgium but kept clean sheets in the other seven games.
Spain’s 19-year-old Pau Cobarsí was named the tournament’s Best Young Player.
Cobarsí was a key pillar in Spain’s solid defensive line. In the final, Spain limited Argentina to just two shots, neither of which was on target.
He played the full time in all of Spain’s matches and helped the team secure its third World Cup title since 2010.
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