Kylian Mbappé has etched his name in the annals of world football in letters of gold, having been crowned top scorer of the 2026 World Cup with 10 goals, becoming the first player in the tournament’s history to win the Golden Boot twice, before adding another, even more significant achievement by climbing to the top of the all-time World Cup goalscorers’ list with 22 goals, overtaking Lionel Messi.
For the France captain, this was not merely another individual accolade, but a historic moment that ended a record which had stood since the first World Cup in 1930, and redrew the map of records in the world’s biggest international tournament.
Almost a century after the World Cup’s inception, Mbappé succeeded where all the game’s stars had failed, becoming both the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer and the first player to win the Golden Boot in two separate tournaments.
World Cup record breaker
Across the 23 World Cup tournaments leading up to the 2026 World Cup, dozens of strikers have won the Golden Boot, but no player has ever topped the scoring charts twice.
Even the legends who made the tournament’s history have come up against this hurdle. Lionel Messi, despite leading Argentina to the 2022 title and smashing dozens of records, has never won the Golden Boot in any edition.
As for Pelé, a three-time World Cup winner, he too failed to claim the award, whilst Brazil’s Ronaldo won it just once in 2002. Neither Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, nor Cristiano Ronaldo managed to top the tournament’s scoring charts more than once.
This record stood for nearly a century before finally being broken by the French star.
Mbappé makes history once again
Mbappé entered the 2026 World Cup as the top scorer from the Qatar 2022 tournament, having scored eight goals, but he finished the current tournament in even more spectacular fashion, netting 10 goals and winning the Golden Boot for the second time in his career.
His achievement was not limited to breaking the ‘Golden Boot curse’; he also took his tally to 22 goals in World Cup finals, becoming the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer, overtaking Lionel Messi, who ended his World Cup career with 21 goals.
This figure is particularly significant, as Messi has likely played in his final World Cup, whilst Mbappé is still only 27 years old, giving him the opportunity to participate in further tournaments and increase his goal tally – a prospect that may make his new record even more difficult for any player seeking to challenge it in the future.
World cup record that may stand for decades
Breaking Mbappé’s record does not look like an easy task for the stars of the current or future generations, as reaching 22 goals requires participating in several World Cup tournaments, maintaining exceptional scoring rates, and consistently reaching the knockout stages – a combination that even the greatest legends of the game have failed to achieve throughout the tournament’s history.
Ninety-six years after the World Cup’s inception, neither the Golden Boot record nor the all-time goalscorers’ list are what they used to be. The list, which used to crown a new champion in every tournament, now features a player who has reached the top for the first time, whilst the lead in the all-time goalscorers’ list has passed to a striker who still has time to extend his lead.
Whilst the 2026 World Cup will be remembered for Spain’s victory, Kylian Mbappé’s name will remain etched in the tournament’s memory as the man who ended a wait lasting nearly a century, becoming the first player to win the Golden Boot twice, and the all-time top scorer with 22 goals – a feat that may remain unbroken for many years, and perhaps for decades to come.
Featured image via the Canary
By Alaa Shamali
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