Mbappe or Messi: Who will win the World Cup's Golden Boot?

There is the most important trophy, the one that one of France or Argentina will lift to the sky on Sunday night, and then there are those that count for less, but still represent great achievements in the life of a footballer. These include the Golden Boot, the award for the World Cup's top goalscorer, which sees, needless to say, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi leading the way with five goals.

In 2018, in Russia, it was Harry Kane who won it, despite not reaching the final (in which France and Croatia took part). This year, however, it will all be decided in the last challenge of the World Cup, which will also award the Golden Ball (the prize for the best player of the tournament), which again sees Messi and Mbappé among the main candidates.

The two iconic men of their national teams competed against each other, responding goal after goal to each other's performances. 

The Argentina captain found the net on a penalty kick already in the debut match, the one in which the Albiceleste were defeated by surprise by Saudi Arabia. From there, his performances went up and up, with goals and assists dragging his team to the final.

In this World Cup Messi has finally redeemed himself from a history with the national team made up of many regrets: a goal and an assist in the decisive match against Mexico, a goal in the round of 16 against Australia, a goal and an assist against the Netherlands, the legendary performance (with goals and assists) against Croatia.

Mbappé was no less impressive: a goal and an assist in his debut match against Australia, a brace against Denmark and another brace (plus an assist) in the round of 16 against Poland. The PSG champion did not find the net in the quarters against England and in the semifinals against Morocco, but he will not fail to make himself dangerous in the most important challenge of his 2022.

At five against five, the goals that could come from either players will simultaneously decide the top scorer trophy and the winner of the World Cup. 

Beware, however, of another challenge that is likely to go unnoticed. Still in the race for the World Cup's top scorer are two other players: Alvarez and Giroud. Two who, so far, have always been ready and helped the two main protagonists of the tournament to push their respective teams to the final. Both players are on four, so they will need a double to overcome Mbappe and Messi (should the latter fail to net in the final). 

Alvarez collected his goals thanks to decisive goals against Poland and Australia and a brace against Croatia. Giroud, on the other hand, who has become the Bleus' all-time top scorer in this edition, surpassing Henry, scored a brace against Australia and then netted against Poland and England.

There is no shortage of motivation for the tournament's top four strikers, even if the greatest goal of all the men who will take the field on Sunday will remain one: to lift the world's most important cup to the sky.