By Lekan Moses, JKNewsMedia Sports
ANOTHER HISTORIC milestone was recorded at the just-concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup as the tournament’s top scorer, Kylian Mbappé, became the first player in football history to win the Golden Boot twice.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the France captain and Real Madrid forward finished the competition with 10 goals in eight matches, beating Argentina legend Lionel Messi in the race for the prestigious individual award.
Mbappé had previously claimed the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after scoring eight goals, but his latest triumph has taken his legacy to another level by making him the first player to win the award in two separate editions of the tournament.
The France captain and Real Madrid forward finished the competition as the leading scorer with 10 goals in eight matches, beating Argentina legend Lionel Messi in the race for the prestigious individual award.
Mbappé’s incredible tournament began with a brace in France’s opening 3-1 victory over Senegal.
He followed that performance with another two-goal display in a 3-0 win against Iraq, quickly establishing himself as the player to beat in the scoring charts.
Although he failed to score in France’s 4-1 victory over Norway, Mbappé returned to the scoresheet with two goals against Sweden in the round of 32.
He then converted a penalty against Paraguay in the round of 16 before scoring again in France’s 2-0 quarter-final victory over Morocco.
France’s semi-final defeat to Spain ended their hopes of reaching the final, but Mbappé produced one final statement performance by scoring twice in the third-place playoff against England.
Despite France’s 6-4 defeat after a dramatic comeback attempt, those goals secured his place at the top of the Golden Boot standings.
Mbappé’s 10-goal haul also placed him among the greatest World Cup scorers in history.
He became the first player since Germany’s Gerd Müller in 1970 to reach double figures in a single tournament.
Only France’s Just Fontaine, with 13 goals in 1958, and Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis, with 11 goals in 1954, have scored more in one World Cup edition.
The French forward’s overall World Cup tally reached 22 goals, moving him above Lionel Messi to become the leading scorer in men’s World Cup history.
Despite his historic individual achievement, Mbappé admitted that personal records were not his main focus after France missed out on a place in the final.
“When you score that many goals in the World Cup, it certainly takes you to a whole new level. 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,” Mbappé said.
Messi, who entered the final with eight goals, needed a hat-trick against Spain to overtake Mbappé in the Golden Boot race.
However, the Argentina captain was unable to find the net as Spain secured a 1-0 victory in extra time to claim their second men’s World Cup title.
Mbappé finished ahead of Messi, who ended the tournament with eight goals, while England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland recorded seven goals each.
France teammate Ousmane Dembélé and England captain Harry Kane both finished with six goals.
While Mbappé dominated the scoring charts, Spain enjoyed a clean sweep of several major individual awards after their championship victory.
Spain captain Rodri was named the tournament’s best player, receiving the Golden Ball award for his leadership and influence throughout La Roja’s title-winning campaign.
Goalkeeper Unai Simón won the Golden Glove after conceding just one goal in seven matches, while Pau Cubarsí was crowned the Best Young Player of the tournament.
Spain’s Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal that secured the nation’s second World Cup crown, but Mbappé’s historic Golden Boot achievement ensured that the 2026 tournament will also be remembered as another defining chapter in one of football’s greatest careers.
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