Kylian Mbappe wins second World Cup Golden Boot as Spain sweeps awards

Kylian Mbappe wins second World Cup Golden Boot as Spain sweeps awards

Kylian Mbappe has become the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice after earning the award for top scorer at the 2026 tournament. The France forward netted 10 goals in eight games to edge out Lionel Messi.

Mbappe, 27, previously finished as the top scorer at Qatar 2022 with eight goals. His performance this summer makes him the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history with 22 goals, moving him one ahead of Messi. This tally surpasses the previous record of 16 goals held by Germany's Miroslav Klose.

The race for the Golden Boot concluded on Saturday in Miami during the bronze match. Mbappe scored two goals in that fixture, though France fell to a 6-4 defeat against England, finishing the tournament in fourth place. Despite the individual success, Mbappe expressed disappointment over the team's exit.

"When you score that many goals in the World Cup, it certainly takes you to a whole new level," he said. "But I would have preferred not to be the top scorer and to have played in the final. It's good for my legacy once I've retired, but right now, that's not what's on my mind."

Kylian Mbappe, France forward, via bbc.com

Mbappe's 10 goals are the most scored by a single player in one tournament since 1970, when Gerd Muller reached double figures for West Germany. He trails only Sandor Kocsis (11 goals in 1954) and Just Fontaine (13 goals for France in 1958). Throughout the competition, Mbappe scored twice against Iraq and Senegal in the group stage, as well as Sweden in the last 32. He followed that with strikes against Paraguay in the last 16 - the 70th-minute winner from the penalty spot - and against Morocco in the quarter-finals. He recorded four assists and scored half of France's 20 goals in the tournament.

Spanish Dominance

While Mbappe claimed the Golden Boot, world champions Spain swept the remaining major individual accolades following their 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final. The match, held in New Jersey, was decided by a Ferran Torres goal in extra-time.

Spain's captain and midfielder Rodri was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. The 30-year-old received the trophy from Fifa president Gianni Infantino and United States President Donald Trump at MetLife Stadium. Rodri started all eight matches for Spain, winning every game except for an opening 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. Though he did not score or assist, his passing metrics helped Spain control possession.

This award follows a period of injury for Rodri at Manchester City. After rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in September 2024, he made only 38 appearances for his club, with his 2025-26 season interrupted by groin and hamstring injuries. Despite this, he has now won the World Cup and Euros with Spain, and four Premier League titles with City.

The Golden Glove for best goalkeeper went to Spain's Unai Simon. The 29-year-old Athletic Club stopper conceded only one goal in eight games—a strike by Belgium's Charles de Ketelaere in the quarter-finals—and kept seven clean sheets. Simon is the second Spanish goalkeeper to win the award after Iker Casillas in 2010. His total of nine World Cup clean sheets puts him one behind the record of 10 shared by Fabian Barthez and Peter Shilton.

Completing the Spanish sweep, Pau Cubarsi was named the tournament's best young player. The 19-year-old Barcelona centre-back, born on or after January 1, 2005, played every minute of the tournament. He paired with Aymeric Laporte in a defense that restricted Argentina to two shots in the final, neither of which was on target.

Final Standings and Other Awards

Lionel Messi ended the competition with eight goals in eight matches, earning him the Silver Boot and the Silver Ball as the second-best player. Messi could have overtaken Mbappe's goal record with a hat-trick in the final, but he managed only one shot in the championship match, which was blocked.

The remaining top scorers included:

• Jude Bellingham (England) and Erling Haaland (Norway): 7 goals
• Ousmane Dembele (France) and Harry Kane (England): 6 goals

Mbappe was awarded the Bronze Ball, while Jude Bellingham took home the Bronze Boot. The Netherlands, despite exiting in the round of 32 against Morocco on penalties, were awarded the Fair Play Trophy for the best disciplinary record.

The awards were determined by FIFA’s Technical Study Group, a panel consisting of analysts, coaches, and former professionals.