Lionel Messi heads into the 2026 World Cup final as the leading contender for the adidas Golden Boot and the top-ranked player in FIFA’s Creativity Power Rankings.
The Argentina captain has scored eight goals and provided four assists, putting him ahead of France forward Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé has also scored eight goals, but his three assists leave him behind Messi under FIFA’s tiebreak rules.
The France captain can still improve his tally in Saturday’s third-place play-off against England, while Messi will have his final opportunity when Argentina face Spain on Sunday.
Golden Boot Standings
| Rank | Player | Country | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 4 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 8 | 3 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | Jude Bellingham | England | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | Harry Kane | England | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Ousmane Dembélé | France | 5 | 2 |
| 7 | Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 5 | 1 |
| 8 | Ismaïla Sarr | Senegal | 4 | 1 |
| 9 | Julián Quiñones | Mexico | 4 | 1 |
| 10 | Vinícius Júnior | Brazil | 4 | 1 |
| 11 | Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 | 2 |
| 12 | Johan Manzambi | Switzerland | 3 | 2 |
| 13 | Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 3 | 1 |
| 14 | Lautaro Martínez | Argentina | 3 | 1 |
| 15 | Charles De Ketelaere | Belgium | 3 | 1 |
| 16 | Cody Gakpo | Netherlands | 3 | 1 |
| 17 | Brian Brobbey | Netherlands | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | Elijah Just | New Zealand | 3 | 0 |
| 19 | Matheus Cunha | Brazil | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | Folarin Balogun | United States | 3 | 0 |
FIFA Power Rankings – Attacking
Mbappé remains FIFA’s highest-rated attacking player, although Messi has reduced the gap.
| Rank | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé | 8.93 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | 8.63 |
| 3 | Jude Bellingham | 8.22 |
| 4 | Erling Haaland | 7.74 |
| 5 | Charles De Ketelaere | 7.31 |
| 6 | Ousmane Dembélé | 7.21 |
| 7 | Vinícius Júnior | 7.17 |
| 8 | Johan Manzambi | 7.11 |
| 9 | Julián Quiñones | 7.05 |
| 10 | Harry Kane | 6.92 |
FIFA Power Rankings – Creativity
Messi climbed five places to take first position after providing two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final victory over England.
| Rank | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 8.41 |
| 2 | Michael Olise | 8.23 |
| 3 | Jeremy Doku | 7.78 |
| 4 | Kylian Mbappé | 7.71 |
| 5 | Anthony Gordon | 7.67 |
| 6 | Lamine Yamal | 7.47 |
| 7 | Roberto Alvarado | 7.33 |
| 8 | Dani Olmo | 7.31 |
| 9 | Bukayo Saka | 7.29 |
| 10 | Morgan Rogers | 7.13 |
FIFA Power Rankings – Defending
Spain dominate the defending rankings ahead of the final, with three players occupying the top three positions.
| Rank | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodri | 8.03 |
| 2 | Pedro Porro | 7.70 |
| 3 | Pau Cubarsí | 7.50 |
| 4 | Aurélien Tchouaméni | 7.36 |
| 5 | Cristian Romero | 7.34 |
| 6 | Luc de Fougerolles | 7.33 |
| 7 | Dayot Upamecano | 7.29 |
| 8 | Aymeric Laporte | 7.29 |
| 9 | Davinson Sánchez | 7.14 |
| 10 | Chris Richards | 7.00 |
Goalkeeping Rankings
Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa remains first in FIFA’s “Defending the Goal” category.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford continues to lead the “In Possession” rankings, ahead of Spain’s Unai Simón.
Players Still in the Golden Boot Race
World Cup Final
| Player | Country | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 4 |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 5 | 1 |
| Lautaro Martínez | Argentina | 3 | 1 |
Messi Holds the Advantage
Messi enters the final weekend with the edge in the Golden Boot race and the highest creativity rating at the tournament.
Mbappé still has a chance to overtake him before Argentina face Spain.
The race could therefore be decided before the final begins—or remain open until Messi’s last kick of the tournament.
