ADVERTISEMENT

SPORT

Mbappe wins historic second straight Golden Boot as Spain sweep World Cup awards

ISTANBUL

France striker Kylian Mbappe became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice, while champions Spain claimed the remaining major individual awards, including captain Rodri’s Golden Ball.

Mbappe finished as the 2026 tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals in eight matches, ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who scored eight.

After winning the Golden Boot with eight goals at Qatar 2022, the 27-year-old became the first player to retain the award.

His tally also made him the first player since West Germany’s Gerd Muller in 1970 to score 10 goals at a single World Cup. Only France’s Just Fontaine with 13 in 1958 and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis with 11 in 1954 have scored more in one edition of the tournament.

Mbappe also became the men’s all-time leading World Cup scorer after netting twice in France’s 6-4 loss to England in Saturday’s third-place playoff, taking his career total to 22 goals, one more than Messi.

England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland finished joint-third in the scoring charts with seven goals each, while France’s Ousmane Dembele and England captain Harry Kane ended the tournament with six.

Rodri was named the tournament’s best player after captaining Spain to their second World Cup title. Messi was awarded the Silver Ball, while Mbappe received the Bronze Ball.

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon claimed the Golden Glove after conceding just one goal in eight matches and keeping seven clean sheets.

Spain’s 19-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi was named the tournament’s best young player after playing every minute of the champions’ campaign.

  • We use cookies on our website to give you a better experience, improve performance, and for analytics. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy By clicking “Accept” you agree to our use of cookies.

    Read More