The World Cup in Qatar, which is in the knockout phase, has as one of the most disputed prizes the Golden Boot, given to the player with the most goals in the tournament.
The number of assists of a player is considered in case of a tie in goals scored. If players are tied on both counts, the winner is decided by who played the fewest minutes.
England captain Harry Kane clinched the accolade at the 2018 World Cup in Russia when he scored six goals and guided his team to the semi-finals.
Below is an overview of the players in the top scorer race at this year’s Worlds.
KYLIAN MBAPPE (FRANCE) – 5 GOALS
The 23-year-old scored against Australia in his country’s debut Group D game and managed a second-half double against Denmark as France secured their place in the round of 16. France’s talisman failed to find the net against Tunisia but added two more goals to his tally in a 3-1 win over Poland in the round of 16.
ALVARO MORATA (SPAIN) – 3 GOALS
The Atletico Madrid striker has scored in Spain’s three Group E matches, including against four-time world champions Germany. Morata, who started as Marco Asensio’s substitute in the first two games at the Cup, put Luis Enrique’s side ahead in the final group game, but the 2010 champions were defeated by Japan.
MARCUS RASHFORD (ENGLAND) – 3 GOALS
The English player had a dream start in the Cup, as he scored a goal in the thrashing of Iran on his debut. Rashford’s place in the national team had been in doubt for a few months due to his fitness and condition, but the Manchester United striker earned a spot and moved up in contention for the Golden Boot after scoring twice in the win over Wales. Rashford started as a substitute in England’s Round of 16 victory over Senegal and kept a clean sheet.
CODY GAKPO (NETHERLANDS) – 3 GOALS
The 23-year-old Dutch striker, who has been instrumental for his club PSV, has managed to score regularly in Qatar so far as the Netherlands progressed to the last 16 by finishing top of Group A. Gakpo scored in each of the first three matches. However, he failed to add to his tally in the round of 16 against the USA.
LIONEL MESSI (ARGENTINA) – 3 GOALS
The 35-year-old Argentine playmaker is probably playing his last World Cup. Messi opened his account by scoring from the penalty spot in a shock Group C defeat by Saudi Arabia, before scoring a goal and setting up a pass for Enzo Fernández to score his in an emotional victory over Mexico. The number 10, seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, also scored in Argentina’s 2-1 victory over Australia, in the round of 16.
BRUNO FERNANDES (PORTUGAL) – 2 GOALS
Portugal’s World Cup campaign in Qatar has been tarnished somewhat by the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and his bitter departure from Manchester United. But his former club-mate Bruno Fernandes, 28, stepped out of his compatriot’s shadow by scoring twice in Uruguay after providing two assists in the previous game against Ghana.
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