Mbappé wins another Golden Boot, and Spain’s Rodri gets Golden Ball with World Cup title

Mbappé wins another Golden Boot, and Spain’s Rodri gets Golden Ball with World Cup title

Spain secured a dominant end to the 2026 World Cup on Sunday, July 19, 2026, claiming the championship title with a 1-0 victory over Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J. Following the match, Spanish players swept nearly all the individual honors, preventing Argentina's Lionel Messi from adding further personal hardware to his collection.

Rodri was named the tournament's best player, receiving the Golden Ball. The Manchester City midfielder captained Spain to its second World Cup title after an undefeated championship run consisting of 7 consecutive victories. While Rodri recorded no goals or assists during the tournament, he was essential to Spain's possession-heavy strategy. According to FIFA stats, he was involved in 1,803 plays—nearly 200 more than any other player—and completed a tournament-high 753 passes with 94% accuracy.

The achievement is a personal comeback for Rodri, who suffered a meniscus rupture and ACL injury in 2024. He returned to play in May 2025 after surgery had sidelined him for eight months.

"For me, it’s been a very tough time. I just want the new generation to see my example as an opportunity to that if you go down, you can rise again,"

Rodri, Spain midfielder, via AP

With this win, Rodri became only the 11th man to win the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d’Or, the latter of which he won in 2024. The Golden Ball was determined by a ranking from the FIFA Technical Study Group; Messi was awarded the Silver Ball and Kylian Mbappé took the Bronze Ball.

Spain also claimed the Golden Glove and the Best Young Player Award. Goalkeeper Unai Simón set a new World Cup record by going 650 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. Simón recorded seven shutouts across eight games, allowing only a single goal throughout the entire tournament.

Pau Cubarsí, a 19-year-old Barcelona defender, won the Best Young Player Award, beating out his 19-year-old teammate Lamine Yamal. Cubarsí played every minute of Spain's run to the title and recorded the most completed passes in the final. By starting the final, Cubarsí and Yamal became the first teenagers to start for a winning team in a World Cup final since Mbappé did so for France in 2018.

Despite Spain's sweep of the other honors, Kylian Mbappé claimed the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer. Mbappé finished with 10 goals and four assists for a French side that finished in fourth place. He secured the award during a 6-4 loss to England in the third-place playoff on Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla., where he scored twice and provided one assist.

Mbappé's 10-goal haul made him the first player to reach double digits in a single World Cup since Gerd Müller did so in 1970. This performance pushed Mbappé's career World Cup total to 22 goals, moving him past Lionel Messi for the all-time tournament record.

Messi, 39, entered the final weekend with a lead for the Golden Boot, as both he and Mbappé had eight goals through the semifinals, but Messi held the tiebreaker with more assists. However, Messi ended the tournament with eight goals and four assists after failing to record a goal or assist in the final. It was the first time in his last 12 World Cup games that he went without a goal or assist. During the final, Messi's only dangerous attempt was a bending left-footed shot in the 115th minute that landed on top of the net.

The result denied Messi a record-extending third Golden Ball and a chance to become the first Golden Boot winner to play for the champion since Ronaldo in 2002.