Mbappé leads tight World Cup Golden Boot race

PARIS: (Sports Desk) – Kylian Mbappé has taken a narrow lead in one of the closest Golden Boot contests in World Cup history, sitting level on seven goals with Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland but ahead on the tournament’s first tiebreaker.

All three forwards have scored seven times by the end of the Round of 16, marking the first time three players have reached that total in the same World Cup. With goals level, FIFA’s tiebreaking rules place assists first, giving Mbappé the advantage after he created two goals for teammates. Messi and Haaland have yet to record an assist in the tournament.

If players remain level on goals and assists, the award is decided by the fewest minutes played. FIFA does not automatically share the Golden Boot, although a joint award remains possible if all tiebreakers are equal.

Mbappé, who won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, joined Messi on seven goals after converting a penalty in France’s Round of 16 victory over Paraguay. Haaland then made it a three-way race by scoring twice late in Norway’s surprise win over Brazil, sending his side into its first World Cup quarterfinal.

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Messi, 39, was the first player to reach seven goals, with his campaign featuring a hat-trick against Algeria in the group stage. His scoring run also saw him surpass Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 career World Cup goals to become the leading scorer in the history of the men’s tournament.

England captain Harry Kane remains close behind on six goals and is still in contention to win a second Golden Boot after claiming the award in 2018. Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior, Mikel Oyarzabal and Jude Bellingham are among the players on four goals, although several of their teams have already exited the competition.

With the remaining teams potentially playing up to four more matches before the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium, the race is still open. Mbappé and Kane are both seeking to become the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice.