Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. In 2022, the duel between the two ended in Qatar in the final stage, in the cruelty of the tiebreaker, in Messi’s favor. That World Cup trophy was won by Messi’s Argentina, and he himself won the Golden Ball for the best player. Mbappe had to be content with the Golden Boot for the top scorer.
This time, the personal duel between the two also intensified in the United States-Mexico-Canada World Cup. And this time, the French captain wrote his name separately in the pages of history by winning the Golden Boot. Messi returned empty-handed this time. His team Argentina, hoping to retain the World Cup, came in second. Messi had to be content with the Silver Boot after losing the Golden Boot battle with Mbappe.
Meanwhile, Rodri, the midfielder of the champion Spain team, won the Golden Ball for the best player. No flashy goals, no dazzling dribbling—yet, every victory for Spain throughout the tournament was tied to his feet. Especially in the semi-finals against France and the final against Argentina, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner played superhumanly.
No one before Mbappe had the feat of winning the Golden Boot twice in a row in the history of the World Cup. He finished the tournament with 10 goals and 4 assists, surpassing his feat of 8 goals in Qatar. With 22 goals, he is now the top scorer in the history of the World Cup and the French captain. Messi’s World Cup chapter ended with 21 goals. Who knows where the 27-year-old Mbappe will take this record in the end!
Pau Koubersi wins the Best Young Player award – Reuters
Mbappe shone even in the crazy 6-4 loss to England in the third-place match, scoring a brace, and that pretty much guaranteed him the Golden Boot. Messi went into the final with the chance to surpass him. But in the final, which was lost 1-0 to Spain in extra time, Messi did not score any more goals. He ended this tournament with 8 goals and 4 assists.
Unai Simon with the Golden Glove – AFP
This time, the Bronze Boot went to England’s midfielder Jude Bellingham. He scored 7 goals and 1 assist. The same 7 goals were scored by Norway’s Erling Haaland. However, Bellingham is ahead in terms of assists.
Mbappe has reached another milestone. 10 goals in a World Cup was last seen in 1970, when German legend Gerd Muller achieved that feat. 56 years later, Mbappe reached that number again. However, the record for the most goals in a World Cup is still intact. Just Fontaine of France scored 13 goals in 1958!
Kylian Mbappe wins second consecutive Golden Boot – AFP
Spain’s defense will be the talk of the World Cup for many years to come. Their goalkeeper Unai Simeone won the Golden Glove after keeping seven clean sheets and conceding just one goal in the tournament. The Bilbao goalkeeper set a new World Cup record by keeping his net intact for 649 consecutive minutes. In fact, Spain won almost all the awards this time. Pau Kuberci, who is only 19 years old, won the award for the best young player of the World Cup. The Barcelona defender made Spain’s defense a fortress throughout the tournament.
A new tradition has also been introduced in this 48-team World Cup. FIFA awarded the championship ring to the champion Spain team. Along with $50 million in prize money, which is the highest in World Cup history.
Rodri kisses the Golden Ball – Reuters
