World Cup’s Golden Boot race heats up for Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland

SINGAPORE – The North American summer is scorching hot, and what is even hotter is the race for the coveted Golden Boot at the FIFA World Cup.

With his free kick in the 3-1 win over Jordan on June 27, Argentina legend Lionel Messi leads the top scorers’ chart with six goals and 19 over six tournaments.

Taking into account his goals from each of the knockout rounds in 2022, the maestro set a new milestone for being the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup games.

Having turned 39 on June 24, he is on course for more achievements, including becoming the tournament’s oldest Golden Boot winner – a record belonging to Croatia’s Davor Suker, who was 30 when he won it in 1998.

But there are many worthy contenders in Messi’s rear-view mirror, and a two-goal buffer can easily evaporate.

Even before the group stage ended on June 27, many of the world’s best attackers had already started to stake their claim by scoring goals by the bucketload.

The second round of Group I, J and K matches on June 22 and 23 was an extraordinary case in point.

Messi was up first at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, scoring twice in the 2-0 win over Austria despite missing an early penalty. He became the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing the previous leader, Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who had 16 in total.

Not to be outdone, Kylian Mbappe, 27, also notched a brace on his 100th appearance for France in their 3-0 win over Iraq to improve to four goals at this World Cup and 16 in just three editions.

It was then Erling Haaland’s turn to get in on the double act with his match-winning performance in Norway’s 3-2 victory over Senegal. In his first World Cup, the 25-year-old has not wasted any time to get to four goals in just two games.

Next up was Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old Portuguese Peacock who has had to endure criticism after firing blanks against DR Congo.

Stepping up with two well-taken goals in the 5-0 drubbing of Uzbekistan, he became the first player to score in six different World Cups.

In the last round of group games, Brazil’s Vinicius Jr kept the party going with a double in the 3-0 win over Scotland, and another Frenchman Ousmane Dembele underscored his Ballon d’Or credentials with a superb hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Norway as both players moved up to four goals each.

Remarkably, this is the first time five players have scored four or more goals in the World Cup’s group stage.

Ten other players are one goal adrift, including England captain Harry Kane, German late bloomer Deniz Undav, 20-year-old Swiss starlet Johan Manzambi, and Morocco’s converted striker Ismael Saibari, who along with Messi and Vinicius, are the only players to have scored in every game at this edition.

In the history of the tournament, the 1954 World Cup stands out as it was the first time a Golden Boot winner entered double figures as Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis poached 11 goals in six games.

He was overtaken by France’s Just Fontaine four years later, who still holds the record for the most goals scored at a single World Cup with 13 from six games. Germany’s Gerd Muller, with 10 goals in 1970, completes the trinity who have netted 10 or more in a single edition.

Even if it looks improbable, the record could fall if the big guns keep up their scoring form.

The simplest reason for this would be the number of games players could potentially play, which could go up to eight with the expanded 48-team field.

Messi, for example, would need to score eight goals in a maximum of five more matches to surpass Fontaine’s record.

Other factors – despite the World Cup coming at the end of a draining season – are the players’ desire to chase records, their professional lifestyle and their teammates’ willingness to funnel scoring chances to them.

The Golden Boot is the only major individual accolade missing from Messi’s trophy cabinet, while Mbappe and Kane, top scorers in 2022 and 2018 respectively, are both in line to be the first player to win the award twice. With Norway not a regular in these tournaments, Haaland would also want to seize the opportunity on his debut.

Among the pundits, there was no clear favourite for the Golden Boot winner.

Former Bulgaria forward Dimitar Berbatov told The Straits Times: “Messi is going strong, I like Kane, and the usual suspects are there.

“But, if I have to pick one, I will go with Mbappe.”

Former Scotland striker Ally McCoist told ITV: “In terms of natural footballing ability, Messi is out in front, with Mbappe probably in second.

“But in front of goal, Haaland is as good as it gets.

“It is impossible to compare these players. Kane is a better all-round footballer than Haaland as well, but, in terms of putting the ball in the back of the net, Haaland is probably the best out there.”

Amid the stiff competition, there remains mutual respect.

Mbappe said: “Leo always scores. He always has and always will.

“If I start watching him, I’ll feel like I have to do even more, so no, I don’t watch what he’s doing.

“I’m only thinking about helping my team – by helping the team, I score goals and get closer to that kind of level.”

At the other end, there are the big names who have disappointed, such as Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, who scored once only in the 5-1 win against New Zealand.

At least he still has a chance to add to his tally.

Others such as South Korea’s Son Heung-min and Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez failed to register any goals or assists and have been sent packing and wondering what could have been.