With just two games remaining at the FIFA World Cup, the Golden Boot is still up for debate, with four players genuinely having a chance.

France’s Kylian Mbappe and Argentina’s Lionel Messi currently top the table with five goals a piece, with Olivier Giroud and Julian Alvarez one goal behind with four scores. It all boils down to the World Cup Final, but Messi wins the tiebreaker with three assists to his name as things stand.

BetMGM Top Goalscorer Line Movement (Open, Current):

• Messi +1200 to -125
• Mbappe +700 to +120
• Julian Alvarez +5000 to +1200
• Olivier Giroud +6600 to +1400

Messi Having The World Cup of Dreams

On Sunday, December 18, Messi will step out at the Lusail Iconic Stadium to play his last World Cup game. This will be his final shot at winning the World Cup, one of the only trophies he has never won in his career. The other trophy that’s eluded him? The Golden Boot.

The GOAT started at +1200 odds, the fourth favorite to win the Boot. Messi is making it look easy and now sits as the favorite at -125. Three of his five goals have come from the penalty spot, and he’s scored in every knockout game so far. Imagine the scenes if he wins the World Cup, the Golden Ball, AND the Golden Boot at 35 years old in his final match for Argentina.

It will be hard to deny Messi of the Golden Boot with his form, but if anyone can do it, it would be the best player in the world. Mbappe has dominated for France this World Cup, scoring five goals.

Mbappe opened as a co-favorite to win the Golden Boot at +700, and that line has now dropped to +120, just behind Messi. Even if he doesn’t score but gets an assist in the Final while leaving Messi off the scoresheet, Mbappe would move to first place, as the second tiebreaker is based on who scored fewer penalties, and Mbappe has none.

Just A Touch Away

Looking in from the outside are both Giroud and Alvarez. Both were afterthoughts heading into the tournament, as we didn’t know if they would start for their respective nations.

Alvarez started at +5000 and now sits at +1200 to win it all. He scored two goals against Croatia in the semis, primarily because of the spaces Messi created for him. France’s defense will also focus heavily on shutting down Messi, leaving ample room for Alvarez to work. 

Giroud started at +6600 but now sits at +1400, the biggest odds movement. He became France’s all-time leading goal scorer in Qatar and is the main target man for France. With Argentina susceptible to goals on set pieces, Girard will have plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net. However, he would need two goals to get it done, as he has zero assists in Qatar.