Kylian Mbappe has made history as the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot on two separate occasions, finishing as top scorer at the 2026 tournament with 10 goals in eight matches, narrowly ahead of Lionel Messi. Having also topped the scoring charts at Qatar 2022 with eight goals, the France forward now owns back-to-back Golden Boots.
The 27-year-old became the first man to hit double figures for goals at a single World Cup since Gerd Muller managed it for West Germany in 1970. Only Just Fontaine’s 13 goals for France in 1958 and Sandor Kocsis’ 11 for Hungary in 1954 stand above him in the tournament’s history books. Mbappe also passed Messi to become the men’s World Cup all-time leading scorer, now sitting on 22 career goals.
He sealed the scoring title with a brace in the third-place match, though France still fell 6-4 to England and finished fourth. Speaking after the game in Miami, Mbappe admitted he’d have traded the individual award for a place in the final, saying the achievement matters more for his legacy in retirement than in the moment.
His goal tally included doubles against Senegal, Iraq, and Sweden, plus a penalty winner against Paraguay and a strike versus Morocco. Messi had a shot at overtaking him with a hat-trick in Sunday’s final but was held scoreless as Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain, finishing the tournament with eight goals. England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland scored seven apiece, while Ousmane Dembele and Harry Kane each netted six.
Rodri Named Best Player
Spain dominated the rest of the individual awards. Manchester City midfielder Rodri was handed the Golden Ball as the tournament’s outstanding player, presented by FIFA president Gianni Infantino at MetLife Stadium following the final. It’s the third major individual honour of his career, adding to his 2023 Ballon d’Or and his Player of the Tournament award at Euro 2024. Messi took the Silver Ball as runner-up, with Mbappe awarded the Bronze Ball.
Simon Wins Golden Glove, Cubarsi Named Best Young Player
Goalkeeper Unai Simon earned the Golden Glove after conceding just once in eight matches and keeping seven clean sheets, beaten only by Belgium’s Charles de Ketelaere in the quarter-final. The 29-year-old was chosen ahead of Arsenal’s David Raya as Spain’s starting keeper and delivered throughout the tournament.
Barcelona’s 19-year-old centre-back Pau Cubarsi took home the award for best young player, having played every minute of Spain’s campaign and anchored a defence that conceded only once all tournament, restricting Argentina to just two shots — none on target — in the final itself.
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