Kylian Mbappe has made World Cup history, becoming the first player to win the Golden Boot at two separate tournaments after finishing as the top scorer at the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The France forward edged out Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland in the race for the tournament's leading marksman award, adding to his Golden Boot from 2022. Mbappe's feat was confirmed as Spain's Rodri was named the best player of the tournament.
“Kylian Mbappe wins the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot, becoming the first player to win the award twice.”
For Messi, it was another case of losing out to Mbappe on the global stage. The Argentine captain had won the Golden Ball in 2022 but watched Mbappe claim the Golden Boot after the Frenchman's hat-trick in the final – a repeat that the Standard described as "Messi loses out to Mbappe once again".
Mbappe's double tops the list of individual honours at a World Cup where the attacking talent on display was exceptional. Bellingham and Haaland both scored crucial goals for their nations but could not match the Frenchman's relentless consistency across seven matches.
The achievement cements Mbappe's status as the dominant forward of his generation, with only the tournament's best player award – won by Rodri – eluding him this time around.