As we head towards the final game of the 2022 World Cup, there is more than just the iconic gold trophy up for grabs.
While that collective trophy is the aim for both Argentina and France ahead of Sunday’s final, there are also a number of individual awards that are still up for grabs. One such award is the Golden Boot, given to the player who scores the most goals at the tournament.
So who’s in the running to scoop the award? Here are the four players who head into Sunday’s final with a shot of winning the Golden Boot.
5 goals
Lionel Messi is the player currently leading the World Cup Golden Boot standings with five goals and three assists. The former Barcelona forward has netted in five of his six games so far, leading the side after their shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia.
He has also set up three goals, which puts him in first place in the Golden Boot standings.
5 goals
Joining his Paris Saint-Germain on five goals is Kylian Mbappe. His strikes in Qatar have come in three games, bagging braces against Denmark and Poland after his tournament opener in the 4-1 victory over Australia.
However, he’s currently lagging behind Messi due to his inferior assist record. Mbappe has set up goals against Australia and Poland but will have to deliver in the final if he is to win his first World Cup Golden Boot.
4 goals
An outsider for the Golden Boot, Olivier Giroud has performed a much higher-profile role for France in Qatar than he did four years ago, when he didn’t score a goal in France’s success.
It’s been different this year. Giroud grabbed two in the thrashing of Australia and the opener against Poland before grabbing the winner in the quarter-final victory against England. However, with no assists so far he’ll have to score twice in the final to have a shot at claiming the Golden Boot.
4 goals
If the world wasn’t truly aware of Julian Alvarez’s frightening potential during his first few months at Manchester City, it’s taking notice now.
Having scored against Poland and Australia, Alvarez put in a star showing with two goals as the Albiceleste cruised past Croatia 3-0 in the semi finals. Like Giroud, he’ll need a brace in the final if he wants that Golden Boot.
The numbers of assists is used as a tiebreaker if two or more players are tied on the same amount of goals scored at the World Cup. If they cannot be separated, the player with the fewest amount of minutes played at the tournament will claim the Golden Boot.
In the unlikely event that players remain tied after both tiebreakers, the Golden Boot is shared by the players.
Harry Kane won the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot thanks to his six strikes with England. He scored a game-winning brace against Tunisia before firing in a hat trick against minnows Panama.
The Tottenham forward scored from the spot against Colombia in the last 16 before the Three Lions bowed out in the semi finals.
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