Lionel Messi opened the tournament with important goals that helped Argentina win the first 2 matches of the group stage. He scored his first hat-trick in his World Cup career in the match against Algeria, and also became the oldest player to ever score a hat-trick in the history of the tournament.
After that, the 39-year-old striker scored a double against Austria, surpassing Miroslav Klose to become the greatest scorer in World Cup history with 17 goals.
Although only entering the field in the last 30 minutes of the match against Jordan, Messi still managed to score another goal. In the round of 32, he continued to open the score in Argentina's 3-2 victory over Cabo Verde after extra time, raising the record to 7 goals.
Messi's biggest rival is Kylian Mbappe. The French captain started his World Cup campaign with a double against Senegal before scoring 2 more goals in the victory over Iraq. Despite being silent against Norway, Mbappe still left his mark with two assists.
In the round of 32 against Sweden, the Real Madrid striker scored a double, including a beautiful solo before closing the performance with a winning goal. In the round of 16, Mbappe scored from a penalty into Paraguay's net to equal Messi's 7 goals.
Erling Haaland also joined the leading group after an explosive performance with Norway. The Manchester City striker scored a double right in his World Cup debut against Iraq, continued to score 2 more goals against Senegal and scored the decisive goal against Ivory Coast in the round of 32.
Haaland's peak came in the round of 16 when he scored a double to help Norway defeat Brazil 2-1 to win the right to enter the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. With 7 goals, the Norwegian striker created a "three-horse" formation with Messi and Mbappe.
Closely following behind is Harry Kane with 6 goals. The England captain scored in the opening match against Croatia, continued to score against Panama, then shone with a double to help the "Three Lions" come back to defeat DRC Congo in the round of 32.
In the round of 16, Kane continued to score from the penalty spot in the 3-2 victory over Mexico, thereby maintaining a gap of only one goal with the top 3 players.
In the chasing group there are also Ousmane Dembele, Jude Bellingham and Mikel Oyarzabal with the same 4 goals.
Dembele impressed in the French national team jersey with a hat-trick against Norway after opening the scoring account against Iraq.
Bellingham also continued to prove his ability to shine in big matches with 2 goals against Mexico in the round of 16, after scoring against Croatia and Panama.
Meanwhile, Oyarzabal is the biggest hope in Spain's attack. This striker scored a double against Saudi Arabia in the group stage and against Austria in the round of 32. He became the first Spanish player to score 2 goals in a World Cup knockout match since Emilio Butragueno in 1986.
As the 2026 World Cup is about to enter the quarter-finals, the Golden Boot race is still completely open. Messi, Mbappe and Haaland are sharing the top spot with 7 goals, but Kane is only one goal behind, while Dembele, Bellingham and Oyarzabal still have a chance to break through if they continue to maintain their scoring form.
