Lionel Messi has quite a climb to catch Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot.
The Argentina superstar has won just about everything in soccer except for the award for being the leading scorer at the World Cup, and he’s now two behind Mbappé after the France striker upped his total to 10 goals in a wild third-place game.
Even if Messi can’t get there, a record-extending third Golden Ball as the tournament's best player seems well in reach after Sunday's
World Cup final against Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
He’s already the only player to win the award multiple times since it was first given in 1978, and sparking Argentina's run to a second straight final at age 39 gives him a strong case for another.
“He is the history. He is the legend,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
The other awards to be presented Sunday for performances at the World Cup are the Golden Glove for the top goalkeeper, and the Best Young Player Award, given to the top player 21 years old or younger.
Spain is in good shape to win at least one if not both of those, with Unai Simón allowing only one goal in seven games and 19-year-old Yamine Lamal providing the dazzle up front and showing why he is already considered one of the most promising players in the world.
Messi is at the other end of a career in which he’s won the Ballon d’Or, given to soccer's player of the year, a record eight times.
The Golden Boot has eluded him, but he had the lead going into the final two matches of this year's tournament. Both Messi and Mbappé had eight goals through the semifinals, but Messi owned the tiebreaker with one more assist.
Mbappé then scored twice Saturday in France’s 6-4 loss to England, making him the first player with 10 goals in a World Cup since Germany great Gerd Müller had 10 in 1970.
Mbappé also won the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, when France lost to Argentina in the final. This time, he could join players such as Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci in 1990, Croatia's Davor Suker in 1998 and Germany’s Thomas Müller in 2010 as players whose goals in a third-place game carried them to the Golden Boot.
Should Messi beat out Mbappé in an Argentina victory, he would be the first Golden Boot winner to play for the champion since Ronaldo scored eight goals when Brazil won the title in 2002.
He may not need any goals to secure another Golden Ball.
Messi won that trophy for the first time in 2014, when Argentina was the runner-up, and again in 2022 when his seven goals in seven games powered his country to its third title.
The Golden Ball, Golden Glove and the Best Young Player Award are voted on by members of the media from a list of players compiled by the FIFA Technical Study Group.
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