France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has successfully retained the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot after finishing as the tournament’s highest scorer with 10 goals, despite France ending their campaign in fourth place.
Newsonspot gathered that Mbappé secured the prestigious award by scoring twice in France’s thrilling 4-6 game with England in the third-place playoff. His 10-goal tally put him ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who finished with eight goals after failing to score in Sunday’s final against Spain.
With the achievement, Mbappé becomes the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot in two consecutive tournaments, having also claimed the award in 2022.
The French star finished ahead of a strong field that included Messi (eight goals), Norway’s Erling Haaland (seven), England duo Jude Bellingham (seven) and Harry Kane (six), as well as France teammate Ousmane Dembélé (six).
Mbappé enjoyed an outstanding tournament, scoring two goals in France’s opening 3-1 victory over Senegal and adding another brace in a 3-0 win against Iraq. He was kept off the scoresheet in a 4-1 triumph over Norway before netting twice in a 3-0 Round of 32 victory over Sweden.
He also converted the decisive penalty in France’s 1-0 Round of 16 win over Paraguay and scored once in the 2-0 quarter-final victory against Morocco. Although France lost 2-0 to eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals, Mbappé ended the tournament on a high by scoring twice against England in the third-place playoff.
Meanwhile, Spain celebrated a memorable World Cup campaign by defeating defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final to lift their second FIFA World Cup title.
The Spanish champions also dominated the individual awards. Captain Rodri won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, goalkeeper Unai Simón claimed the Golden Glove after conceding just one goal in seven matches, while defender Pau Cubarsí was named Best Young Player, edging teammate Lamine Yamal for the honour.
Veteran Argentina captain Lionel Messi finished with the Silver Ball, while Mbappé received the Bronze Ball in recognition of his impressive performances throughout the competition.
