The knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has already well begun and we have now reached the final! One of the major awards that players will be vying for, other than the World Cup itself, is the Golden Boot, which is given to the player who scores the most goals during the competition.
In the event of a tie for most goals scored, a player’s total assists are taken into account. If there is a tie on both counts, the person who played the fewest minutes wins. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, England captain Harry Kane won the award after scoring six goals and guiding his squad to the semifinals. Those that are contending to be the highest scorer at the 2022 World Cup are listed below… Who has the best chance?
Who Could Win The Golden Boot At World Cup 2022?
Kylian Mbappe – France
The 23-year-old scored against Australia in his team’s opening Group D game then scored twice against Denmark in the second half to secure France’s place in the round of 16. In Tunisia’s final group game, the team pulled off a famous shock, but France’s talisman was unable to score. In a 3-1 victory against Poland in the round of 16, he added two more goals to his total, but he was unable to score in France’s 2-1 victories over England in the quarterfinals and 2-0 triumphs over Morocco in the semifinals. Can he get one more than Messi in the competition’s final game?
Lionel Messi – Argentina
The legendary player from Argentina is taking part in his last World Cup, according to him. The 35-year-old scored his first goal from the penalty spot in a shocking Group C defeat to Saudi Arabia before scoring and setting up Enzo Fernandez in a stirring victory over Mexico. Messi’s 94th international goal gave Argentina a 2-1 victory over Australia in the round of 16. He gave his team the lead after 35 minutes with a calmly executed low shot. In Argentina’s victory over the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, he also provided an assist and scored a goal. Messi contributed significantly to Argentina’s 3-0 semi-final win over Croatia by scoring one goal and setting up another for teammate Julian Alvarez, who also scored twice.
Olivier Giroud – France
With his 52nd goal in 117 appearances for Les Bleus, Giroud, 36, overtook Thierry Henry to become France’s all-time leading scorer in their 3-1 World Cup quarterfinal victory over Poland. After scoring twice in France’s 4-1 victory against Australia in their opening Group D match, he had tied Henry for the lead with 51 goals. Giroud also scored in France’s 2-1 quarterfinal victory over England, but he was unable to score in their 2-0 semifinal triumph against Morocco. Giroud sits one goal behind Mbappe and Giroud, on 4 goals. If he can muster two goals without Messi or Mbappe scoring, he could have a good chance.
Julián Álvarez – Argentina
The young attacker from Manchester City scored his first World Cup goal against Poland in a game that needed to be won. Argentina was able to win and advance to the next round thanks to a brilliant finish from lvarez into the top corner.
With a brace in their 3-0 semi-final win against Croatia, lvarez solidified his place in Argentinian football history. The Manchester City attacker boldly broke through the Croatian defense to score the first of these gritty single goals, nodding it past Dominik Livakovi.
Someone Else?
Considering this is the final game of the tournament, it’s unlikely that anyone can catch up to these four attackers at this stage. That being said… stranger things have happened in the world of soccer! Mbappe and Giroud are the only French players to have scored more than once, but there is a small chance that if any of Theo Hernandez, Randal Kolo Muani, Aurelien Tchouameni or Adrien Rabiot score 4+ goals, they could also finish as top scorer! Again this is super unlikely, but why rule it out?
The same goes for Argentina with Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Nahuel Molina having scored once also. It will surely be a huge shock if any of these players manages to score 4 goals, especially in a game of this magnitude where it is already too close to call. Hugo Lloris and Emiliano Martinez (goalkeepers) have been in incredible form this World Cup, so to concede so many is unlikely…
Our prediction lies with the young boy who has already won a World Cup, and is on his way to his second at 23! Good luck, Kylian Mbappe.