Kylian Mbappe made the scoring race tighter on Saturday, finishing the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match with 10 goals and leaving Lionel Messi two goals behind heading into the final. For Messi, 39 years old and still driving Argentina toward another title shot, the next match is now about more than the trophy.
It is also about whether he can still catch the World Cup Golden Boot. Messi has won every major soccer honor except that one, and the final against Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is the last chance to close the gap. Mbappe’s total from the third-place game means Messi would need a big night to overtake him, with the scoring title decided only when the final whistle goes.
That is why the search around Messi now extends beyond the Golden Boot. A record-extending third Golden Ball is in reach, and he is the only player to win it multiple times since it was first given in 1978. Lionel Scaloni put the point plainly after Argentina reached a second straight final: “He is the history. He is the legend.”
The awards picture will not end with the top scorer. The Golden Glove and the Best Young Player Award will also be presented on Sunday, and Spain is in position to contend for both. Unai Simón allowed only one goal in seven games, while 19-year-old Lamine Yamal has already put himself in the frame for the young-player prize.
That leaves Messi in a familiar place and an unusual one at the same time. He is chasing the one major honor missing from his collection, but the bigger individual prize may already be waiting for him. If he scores once, the gap stays alive; if he scores twice, the final becomes a direct test of whether Mbappe’s 10-goal total holds up. Either way, Sunday will decide whether Messi walks off with the scoring title or with another Golden Ball to add to a career that has already covered nearly everything else.
