Messi remains Golden Ball favourite, Mbappé leads scoreboard

Lionel Messi will need a remarkable performance in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain if he is to finish as the tournament’s leading scorer after Kylian Mbappé moved clear in the Golden Boot standings with another prolific display.

The France forward struck twice in his side’s 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place play-off on Saturday, taking his total to 10 goals for the tournament. Messi remains on eight goals, meaning the Argentina captain must score at least twice in the final to draw level and three times to finish above the French striker.

Before the third-place fixture, both players had shared the lead with eight goals, although Messi held the advantage through the tournament’s assist tiebreaker.

Even if the Golden Boot proves beyond his reach, Messi remains the overwhelming favourite to collect the Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament’s outstanding player.

Now 39, the Argentina captain has once again led his country to the World Cup final and is seeking another major honour to add to a career that is already regarded as one of football’s greatest.

He previously won the Golden Ball in both 2014 and 2022, making him the only player to receive the award twice.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni praised his captain’s influence throughout the tournament.

“He is history. He is a legend,” Scaloni said.

The Golden Boot remains one of the few major individual prizes missing from Messi’s career, which already includes a record eight Ballon d’Or titles.

Mbappé, who claimed the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup despite France finishing runners-up, has continued his impressive scoring record by becoming the first player to reach 10 goals in a single World Cup tournament since Germany’s Gerd Müller achieved the feat in 1970.

Should Messi overtake Mbappé in the scoring race and help Argentina lift the trophy, he would become the first player since Brazil’s Ronaldo in 2002 to win both the Golden Boot and the World Cup in the same tournament.

Spain also enter the final with several leading contenders for individual honours.

Goalkeeper Unai Simón has strengthened his case for the Golden Glove after conceding only one goal in seven matches, while 19-year-old forward Yamine Lamal is among the strongest candidates for the Best Young Player award, presented to the tournament’s top performer aged 21 or younger.

FIFA’s Technical Study Group prepares the shortlist for the Golden Ball, Golden Glove and Best Young Player awards, with the final decisions made by accredited media representatives covering the tournament.

As Argentina and Spain prepare to contest the World Cup title, the final could also determine the destination of several of the competition’s most prestigious individual honours.