What happened when four players were tied in the 2010 World Cup Golden Boot? Can Messi and Mbappé do the same? | | Football News

Messi and Mbappé’s battle for the Golden Boot could be considered a FIFA violation after a shocking finish.

The race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is on the verge of one of the closest battles in the competition’s history.Lionel Messi is currently the top scorer in the game with eight goals and four assists, just ahead of France captain Kylian Mbappé, who has eight goals and three assists. Although both players have goals, Messi leads because he is the first in FIFA and assists.While France was set to face England in the third round, before Argentina faced Spain in the World Cup final, the tournament was not over. This is similar to the dramatic end to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where four players finished their tournament with goals and FIFA separated them using its goals.

The 2010 World Cup produced one of the closest Golden Boot contests ever seen.Thomas Müller of Germany, David Villa of Spain, Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands, and Diego Forlán of Uruguay finished the tournament with five goals.Instead of announcing the winners, FIFA used its official procedures.Müller also had three assists, while Villa, Sneijder and Forlán each finished with one assist.This gave Germany the lead for the Golden Boot even though all four players finished on the scoresheet.The remaining positions were chosen by the next participant: the minute was played.Villa took the Silver Boot because he played fewer minutes than the other two players.Sneijder received the Bronze Boot after logging fewer minutes than Forlán, leaving the Uruguayan captain fourth despite equaling the others in terms of goals.The final standings were:

Interestingly, Müller and Forlán scored one goal each in the third round. Germany beat Uruguay 3-2 to secure the bronze medal, but Müller’s superb assists ensured they remain top of the Golden Boot race.

Although often described as a consolation game, the third playoff is still considered an official FIFA World Cup competition.Every goal, assist and minute played contributes to the Golden Boot race.History has produced several examples where the match directly affected the outcome of the award.At the 1958 World Cup, French forward Just Fontaine scored an incredible four goals against West Germany in the third round to finish with 13 goals, a single World Cup record that still stands today.Forty years later, at the 1998 World Cup, Croatian striker Davor Šuker scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the third round. This strike took him to six goals, earning him the Golden Boot ahead of any other player.

Why 2026 may also produce the finale

Current trends show how competitive the competition is.

Messi went ahead after providing two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final return to England. Although he did not score, passes from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez helped him to four, one more than Mbappé.France’s elimination did not end Mbappé’s chances as Les Bleus would still face England in the third leg. Any goals scored there count towards the Golden Boot, giving the France captain one last chance to advance before Messi plays Spain in the World Cup final.How FIFA chooses the Golden BootFIFA uses three methods to determine the winner:

The same rules decided the award in 2010 and could determine if Messi and Mbappé complete the 2026 competition in goals.

The award is usually chosen by a good margin in recent competitions:

Messi and Mbappé still have eight goals, another competition for the Golden Boot can be decided not only by goals, but by the same rules that separated Müller, Villa, Sneijder and Forlán in South Africa 16 years ago.