The race for the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot has turned into a thrilling battle between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Although Messi did not score in Argentina`s semi-final victory over England, he strengthened his position in the race by providing assists for both of his team`s goals.
Messi and Mbappe have each scored eight goals at the tournament so far, setting up an intense battle for the top scorer`s award ahead of the final and the third-place play-off.
Under FIFA rules, if two or more players finish with the same number of goals, the first tiebreaker is the number of assists. On that basis, Messi currently holds the advantage. His two assists against England took his tournament tally to four, while Mbappe has three assists.
Both players have one match remaining. Messi`s Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final on July 19, while Mbappe`s France will take on England in the third-place play-off.
If the players remain level on both goals and assists, the next tiebreaker will be minutes played. The player who has scored the same number of goals and provided the same number of assists in fewer minutes will win the Golden Boot.
Norway`s Erling Haaland is third in the standings with seven goals. However, Norway has already been eliminated from the tournament, leaving him with no opportunity to add to his tally.
England duo Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham also remain mathematically in contention. Both players have scored six goals and provided one assist. A standout performance in the third-place play-off could still alter the race, although overtaking Messi and Mbappe would be a formidable challenge.
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