2022 World Cup Golden Boot: Mbappe Overtakes Messi With Final Hat Trick

Kylian Mbappe didn’t win the World Cup, but he did outlast his PSG teammate to become the top scorer in Qatar.

The 2022 World Cup’s golden boot race came down to the tournament’s final—and its two star attractions.

Kylian Mbappé’s hat trick against Argentina ultimately gave him the edge over Lionel Messi for a title he’d gladly trade for the World Cup itself. With eight goals, Mbappé won the Golden Boot by a single strike. Messi “settled” for seven goals, the Golden Ball and the World Cup title he craved throughout his career after a riveting triumph in penalty kicks (4–2, following a 3–3 draw).

Before Argentina faced France on Sunday, the World Cup scoring chart had come into focus. After Julián Álvarez’s double for Argentina in the semifinal vs. Croatia—he became the youngest player (22 years, 316 days) since Brazilian legend Pelé in 1958 (17 years, 249 days) to achieve such a feat at the World Cup—there was a four-man race for the scoring crown.

The PSG-teammates-turned-World-Cup-adversaries entered the final with five goals apiece. On their heels were a pair of their teammates, Álvarez and France forward Olivier Giroud, with four apiece. For Giroud, who became France’s all-time men’s leading goalscorer during this tournament after passing Thierry Henry, his presence on this list is impressive on a number of levels. It came after reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who was expected to lead the line for France, was ruled out of the competition through injury. It also came four years after Giroud went goalless in Russia, despite his role in France’s overall machine being widely praised and lauded.

The next-closest active scorer who had the chance to get into the race was Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri, with two. It would have taken a hat trick against Croatia in the third-place match to pull him level atop the table before the final, though, and while he nearly scored an equalizer in stoppage time of a 2–1 defeat that cemented a fourth-place finish, he won’t factor into the finish.

Mbappé is France’s first Golden Boot winner since Just Fontaine’s dominant 13-goal showing in 1958.

The top scorers in Qatar overall are as follows:

EIGHT GOALS

Kylian Mbappé, France

SEVEN GOALS

Lionel Messi, Argentina

FOUR GOALS

Julián Álvarez, Argentina
Olivier Giroud, France

THREE GOALS

Richarlison, Brazil
Álvaro Morata, Spain
Enner Valencia, Ecuador
Marcus Rashford, England
Bukayo Saka, England
Cody Gakpo, Netherlands
Gonçalo Ramos, Portugal

ALL-TIME GOLDEN BOOT WINNERS

1930 - Guillermo Stábile, Argentina (8)
1934 - Oldřich Nejedlý, Czechoslovakia (5)
1938 - Leônidas, Brazil (7)
1950 - Ademir, Brazil (8)
1954 - Sándor Kocsis, Hungary (11)
1958 - Just Fontaine, France (13)
1962 - Flórián Albert, Hungary; Valentin Ivanov, Soviet Union; Garrincha, Brazil; Vavá, Brazil; Dražan Jerković, Yugoslavia; Leonel Sánchez, Chile (4)
1966 - Eusébio, Portugal (9)
1970 - Gerd Müller, Germany (10)
1974 - Grzegorz Lato, Poland (7)
1978 - Mario Kempes, Argentina (6)
1982 - Paolo Rossi, Italy (6)
1986 - Gary Lineker, England (6)
1990 - Salvatore Schillaci, Italy (6)
1994 - Oleg Salenko, Russia; Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgaria (6)
1998 - Davor Šuker, Croatia (6)
2002 - Ronaldo, Brazil (8)
2006 - Miroslav Klose, Germany (5)
2010 - Thomas Müller, Germany (5)
2014 - James Rodríguez, Colombia (6)
2018 - Harry Kane, England (6)
2022 - Kylian Mbappé, France (8)