#认证创作者专属推广任务 At 38 years old, Messi leads the Golden Boot race: Haaland and Mbappé, who can end his World Cup legend?

From the current situation, Messi is indeed a top contender for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot, but his biggest rivals are actually Haaland and Mbappé.

Messi temporarily tops the scoring chart with a hat-trick against Algeria, but the World Cup has just begun, and group stage data cannot determine the final Golden Boot winner.

Three key factors influence the Golden Boot outcome:

First, how far the team can go
Historically, the vast majority of World Cup Golden Boot winners come from teams that reach at least the semifinals, because they play more matches.
Argentina and France both have a chance to win the championship, so Messi and Mbappé are naturally favored.

Second, tactical position
Argentina's offensive core remains Messi.
France's primary goal scorer is more focused on Mbappé.
Norway, although overall weaker than Argentina and France, has Haaland almost single-handedly responsible for most of the team's goals.

Third, age and physical fitness
This is Messi's biggest concern.
At 38, he still possesses top-tier game intelligence and skills, but the fatigue from continuous high-intensity matches will become more apparent.
If Argentina advances deep into the knockout stages, whether Messi can maintain his scoring efficiency is worth watching.

My predictions:
1. Messi
2. Haaland
3. Mbappé
But if Haaland continues to maintain an average of more than one goal per game in the next two matches, the Golden Boot leaderboard could change.

Who do you think will ultimately win the Golden Boot in this World Cup?