Messi takes sole lead in World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race with historic eighth goal

Argentina captain Lionel Messi registered yet another record on Tuesday (July 7) when he scored his eighth goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to lead the race for the Golden Boot once again.

Also read: FIFA World Cup 2026: Full quarterfinal schedule, venues, and IST timings

The Albiceleste No.10, who was tied with his France counterpart Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland till the start of the controversial Round of 16 game against Egypt, has now joined compatriot Guillermo Stabile, Ronaldo (Brazil) and Mbappe in the club with at least eight goals in a single World Cup edition. He also bettered his own previous highest tally of seven accomplished in the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Messi now has 21 World Cups goals

Messi's match-equalling goal against the Africans took his World Cup goal count to 21, the most on this planet, while he has scored in nine consecutive matches in the mega event. He also has one assist now. Messi's performance in this World Cup could also see him earn the Golden Ball (Ballon d'Or) for the second successive time after 2022.

Mbappe, Haaland in second place with 7

Mbappe and Haaland are now in joint second place with seven goals each and will get their chances to progress further in the quarterfinals. France take on Morocco on Thursday (July 9) while Norway lock horns with England on Saturday (July 11).

Harry Kane has 6

England captain Harry Kane is currently in third place with six goals. While none was at five at the moment, six players have registered four goals each, including Kane's colleague Jude Bellingham, who netted a brace against the Mexicans. Others who have scored four are: Vinicius Junior (Brazil), Ousman Dembele (France), Julian Quinones (Mexico), Ismail Sarr (Senegal) and Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain).

Of them, only Bellingham, Dembele and Oyarzabal can score more since the others' teams have been knocked out of the tournament now.

Also read: World Cup 2026: How Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni saw a 100-game evolution

Fourteen players have scored three goals so far, including Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, whose campaign ended in the Round of 16. Twenty-seven have two, while 118 have one to their credit.

Who gets the Golden Boot?

The Golden Boot will be awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament. If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group) shall be decisive. If names still cannot be separated, the total minutes played in the tournament will be considered, with the player who appeared for fewer minutes ranked before the others.