France captain Kylian Mbappe has made history after finishing as the highest goalscorer at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, claiming the Golden Boot with 10 goals.
Mbappe sealed the prestigious award after scoring twice in France’s thrilling 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place play-off, ending the tournament two goals ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who finished with eight goals.
Messi had one final opportunity to close the gap in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain but failed to find the back of the net as Argentina suffered a 1-0 extra-time defeat, leaving Mbappe as the undisputed top scorer of the tournament.
The achievement makes Mbappe the first player in FIFA World Cup history to win the Golden Boot twice, having also claimed the award at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar ahead of Messi also.
Insightlinks Sports Arena gathered that the French superstar also became the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer with 22 career goals, surpassing Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 goals.
Mbappe’s remarkable campaign also placed him among an elite group of players to score 10 or more goals in a single World Cup tournament. Before him, only France’s Just Fontaine (13 goals in 1958), Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis (11 in 1954) and Germany’s Gerd Muller (10 in 1970) had reached the milestone.
Behind Mbappe and Messi in the Golden Boot standings were Norway striker Erling Haaland and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who both finished with seven goals, while England captain Harry Kane ended the tournament with six goals.
Although France narrowly missed out on a podium finish, Mbappe’s outstanding individual display ensured he left the 2026 World Cup with another piece of history, reinforcing his status as one of the greatest players the tournament has ever produced.
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