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Business News/ Sports / Football News/  Who'll win Golden Boot? Julian Alvarez storms into list of probables
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Who'll win Golden Boot? Julian Alvarez storms into list of probables

Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are presently leading the race to win the Golden Boot at the FIFA World Cup 2022. The list has been updated with the players whose teams have qualified to the final.

Argentina's Lionel Messi, left, and Argentina's Julian Alvarez celebrate after scoring during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Argentina and Croatia at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (AP/PTI) (AP)Premium
Argentina's Lionel Messi, left, and Argentina's Julian Alvarez celebrate after scoring during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Argentina and Croatia at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (AP/PTI) (AP)

As the final of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is set to take place on December 18, one of the major awards that players will be vying for is the Golden Boot, given to the player who scores the most goals during the competition. At the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, England captain Harry Kane won the award after scoring six goals and guiding his squad to the semifinals.

Nobody has managed to break Just Fontaine’s record. The French footballer scored 13 goals at Sweden 1958 to win the Golden Boot. After Mexico 1970, no Golden Boot winner has managed to score in double digits.

What if there is a tie?

If two players have the same number of goals scored, the player's assists are taken into account. The person who played the fewest minutes wins if there is a tie on both counts. If there are still two or more players, the one who has played the fewest minutes will win.

The top contenders for top scorer at the 2022 World Cup are listed below:

Julian Alvarez

Julian Alvarez scored twice against Croatia in the semi-finals, taking his tally to four. As coach Lionel Scaloni initially preferred Lautaro Martinez, the Manchester City forward was not expected to play a significant role for Argentina in this tournament. He only made substitute appearances in their victories over Mexico and their shocking opening loss to Saudi Arabia. But, Alvarez might be a crucial scorer for Argentina to have a shot at the Golden Boot because Messi is anticipated to be heavily marked in the final against France.

Olivier Giroud

When Olivier Giroud scored against Poland in the Round of 16, he became France's all-time leading goalscorer - surpassing Thierry Henry's long-time record. Giroud, with four goals under his belt, is now in the race to win the Golden Boot.

Kylian Mbappe

The 23-year-old scored against Australia in his team's opening Group D game then scored twice against Denmark in the second half to secure France's place in the round of 16. In their last group game, Tunisia pulled off a spectacular shock while France's talisman was unable to score. In a 3-1 victory over Poland in the round of 16, he added two more goals to his total, making it five.

Lionel Messi

According to Messi, this world cup may be his last. The 35-year-old began his account by sinking a penalty kick in a devastating Group C loss to Saudi Arabia before scoring and helping Enzo Fernandez in an emotional triumph against Mexico. Messi grabbed a goal in Argentina's 2-1 round-of-16 triumph over Australia, giving his team the lead after 35 minutes with a coolly performed low drive. Messi presently has five goals under his belt. However, he has many more assists than Mbappe. So, in case there is a tie, Messi will be awarded the Golden Boot.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sounak Mukhopadhyay
Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and sports. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer.
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Published: 07 Dec 2022, 08:44 AM IST
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