Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe: Who will win FIFA World Cup Golden Boot if both are tied on same number of goals?
The 2022 FIFA World Cup final is upon us as Argentina take on defending champions France at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar tonight (December 18). While everyone's excited to see who takes home the gold trophy, there are quite a few player awards that are up for grabs too, including the Golden Boot.
The FIFA World Cup top-scorer award is a prestigious honour given to the highest scoring player in the tournament. That's a massive achievement for any player, with only a handful of forwards bagging the prize. In the current edition, two players, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, are competing for the honour.
Who is winning the Golden Boot on Sunday? ⚽️ https://t.co/1r3R27NtfR
The two superstars have bagged five goals apiece at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in six games. But who will win the Golden Boot if both players end up with the same number of goals?
According to FIFA's rules, the player with the more number of assists will win the prize. As things stand, Messi has bagged three assists to Mbappe's two, so he's ahead in the Golden Boot race.
However, what if Mbappe bags an assist in the final and the two players finish with the same number goals and assists? In that case, the player who has played the fewer minutes will win the Golden Boot.
Assuming both Mbappe and Messi play the full 90 (or 120) minutes on Sunday, it will be advantage Mbappe. That's because the Frenchman played only 27 minutes against Tunisia, while Messi has played every minute of every game so far.
Which player is adding their name to the list of FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winners? 🤔 https://t.co/nj8zLScyNd
However, Olivier Giroud and Julian Alvarez shouldn't be counted out either, as both players are on four goals apiece.
Either way, history will be made whoever wins on Sunday - if an Argentine player wins the Golden Boot, he will join Guillermo Stabile (1930) and Mario Kempes (1978) as the only players from the nation to win it.
If a French player wins, he will become the only player besides Just Fontaine (1958) from the country to become a top-scorer at the World Cup.
Argentina and France battle it out in final denouement of 2022 FIFA World Cup
The wait is almost over as Argentina take on France at the Lusail Stadium tonight to decide the winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Both teams are looking to win the competition for the third time.
Lionel Messi is set to play in his last game in the competition and is keen to bow out with the prize, having lost in the final in 2014. La Albiceleste are looking to end their 36-year wait for the title.
Meanwhile, Les Blues are on the brink of becoming just the third nation in history, and the first in 60 years, to win back-to-back FIFA World Cups.