Lionel Messi is one game away from a World Cup feat nobody has ever achieved
The Argentina captain could achieve something never seen in a World Cup by the end of Sunday’s final against Spain.
Lionel Messi could become the first player to finish a World Cup as the outright top goalscorer and leading assist provider.
The Argentina captain could also become only the second player in tournament history to achieve the feat after Germany’s Thomas Müller in 2010, although Müller shared both honors with other players. Messi is aiming to make World Cup history by finishing clear at the top of both categories.
World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race
Heading into Sunday’s final against Spain in New York, Messi is level with France’s Kylian Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot, with the former Paris Saint-Germain teammates having both scored eight goals so far.
Matters are complicated by Mbappé’s potential participation in the third-place game, which could yet see him add to his tally. To win his first World Cup Golden Boot outright, Messi will have to outscore the Frenchman in their respective final games of the tournament, although a tie could also be enough for him to claim the award.
England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane (both six goals), France teammate Ousmane Dembélé and Spain attacker Mikel Oyarzabal (both five) are not completely out of the Golden Boot equation, but they would have to produce something special to have any chance of catching Messi and Mbappé.
How the World Cup Golden Boot tiebreakers work
If Messi, Mbappé, and potentially others end up tied, the award will go to the player who provided the most assists during the tournament. This is where the Argentine could join Müller as the only players to lead a World Cup in both goals and assists.
After setting up two goals in the semifinal win over England, Messi has four assists to Mbappé’s three, although that could easily change in this weekend’s games. Again, the Inter Miami playmaker may have to preserve that advantage to claim the Golden Boot.
If two or more players still can’t be separated, the prize goes to the player who played the fewest minutes over the course of the tournament. In those terms, Messi is at a slight disadvantage. So far, he has played 621 minutes to Mbappé’s 609.
How can Messi also finish as the World Cup’s top assister?
Messi, however, isn’t the current assists leader. France’s Michael Olise remains top of that chart and can also add to his tally against England in the third-place game.
Olise has five assists to his name, although none in his last three games, which suggests his radar has gone slightly off. Again, Messi would need to provide more assists than the Frenchman in their final games to either tie or overtake Olise, while also hoping neither Mbappé nor England pair Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon, who have three assists each, catch him.
Neither scoring nor assisting is likely to be an easy task against a Spain team with a formidable defensive record. But if there’s one man who can do it, it’s undoubtedly Messi.
If he succeeds, he would join Müller as the only player to finish a World Cup as both the Golden Boot winner and the tournament’s leading assist provider, while becoming the first to do so outright. What a fitting way it would be to end a sensational World Cup career.
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