NEW YORK: As Argentina prepare to face Spain in the FIFA World Cup final today, another major battle will unfold alongside the race for the championship—the contest for the tournament’s prestigious Golden Boot.
France’s Kylian Mbappé currently leads the scoring charts with 10 goals, having completed his tournament campaign.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has scored 8 goals so far and still has one final opportunity to surpass the French star.
To finish ahead of Mbappé outright, Messi will need to score a hat-trick in the final, taking his tally to 11 goals.
If Messi scores two goals, he would draw level with Mbappé on 10 goals. In that case, the Golden Boot would be decided by the first tiebreaker—assists.
Both players currently have four assists each. Therefore, if Messi scores twice, he would also need to register at least one assist in the final to move ahead of Mbappé.
If both goals and assists remain tied, FIFA’s next tiebreaker is fewer minutes played during the tournament.
Mbappé has played 769 minutes in the competition, while Messi has featured for 712 minutes before the final. However, if Messi plays the entire final, his total minutes will increase, potentially affecting that tiebreaker.
With the World Cup trophy and the Golden Boot both at stake, all eyes will be on Messi as he attempts to lead Argentina to glory while chasing yet another individual milestone in his remarkable career.
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