List of World Cup Golden Boot winners by year
Past all time World Cup Golden Boot winners list by year? Who got the Golden Boot in the World Cup 2022? Who is predicted to win the Golden Boot in the World Cup 2026? Who are the Past FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Winners?
Have you ever wanted to find out on whom are the Golden Boot winners of all time at the FIFA World Cup? Well, if you have then worry not because we have prepared a list of all time World Cup Golden Boot winners list by year.
The FIFA World Cup is the biggest tournament in world football. And is also the most watched football tournament around the world.
It’s not easy for a striker to get away with easy goals when you’re playing in the FIFA World Cup that’s why we took the time to give credits to the previous FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winners.
These players have been outstanding and need to be given credit for the amazing goal scoring abilities most players on the list are the strikers.
Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have outstanding goalscoring records in the competition.
The most recent World Cup was won by Argentina in 2022. Watch & Bet Football =>
What is the World Cup Golden Boot or Golden Shoe meaning and history
What is the FIFA Golden Boot? The FIFA Golden Boot, originally known as the Golden Shoe, is the prestigious individual prize awarded to the World Cup’s top goalscorer.
Awarded every four years since 1930, total goals are the primary factor, but tie-breakers like assists and minutes played decide the winner if multiple players finish level.
This coveted accolade celebrates prolific attacking talent and crowns the tournament’s most lethal striker.
The Golden Boot is given at the end of every FIFA World Cup to the player who scores the most goals during the tournament.
Goals from penalty shoot‑outs do not count toward the total and only goals scored during normal or extra time. If two players finish level on goals, assists are used as a tiebreaker, followed by minutes played.
Although scoring charts have been tracked since the earliest World Cups, the official prize—first called the Golden Shoe—was not introduced until 1982.
It was rebranded as the Golden Boot in 2010, with FIFA now often retroactively applying the honour to earlier leading marksmen.
When goals are level, assists break the tie (from 1994); if still deadlocked, fewer minutes played ranks higher (from 2006).
Silver and Bronze boots go to the second‑ and third‑highest scorers. Watch & Bet Football =>
Last 5-10 World Cup Golden Boot Winners
The FIFA World Cup Golden Boot is one of football’s most iconic individual honors awarded to the tournament’s top scorer.
While the World Cup crowns the best team in international football, the Golden Boot celebrates the player who finds the back of the net more than anyone else.
From Guillermo Stábile in 1930 to Kylian Mbappé in 2022, the award has highlighted some of football’s most unforgettable attacking performances.
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Winners 2026
The 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race is underway across the USA. Messi’s hat-trick and Mbappé’s braces have ignited early excitement during the group stage.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot winners list
Who will win the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot? At the 2026 FIFA World Cup in USA, with latest Lionel Messi’s stunning hat-trick against Algeria has propelled him to the early lead in the Golden Boot race.
However, with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland both scoring braces, it’s still early. The latest World Cup Golden Boot odds show Messi and Mbappé as joint-favorites at 25%, with Harry Kane close behind.
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Winners 2022
FIFA World Cup 2022 Golden Boot winners list
Who won the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot? At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Golden Boot — awarded to the tournament’s top scorer — was won by Kylian Mbappé of France.
The 23‑year‑old star finished the competition with eight goals, one more than Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who scored seven and earned the Silver Boot.
Mbappé’s tally included a stunning hat‑trick in the World Cup final against Argentina, making him only the second player in history to score three goals in a final match.
Despite France losing the final on penalties, Mbappé’s prolific scoring performance throughout the tournament secured him the highest individual scoring honour.
Other players like Olivier Giroud and Julián Álvarez finished with four goals each.
After a HAT TRICK in the Final, the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner is Kylian Mbappé 🔥🏆 pic.twitter.com/XUeEeLCL0P
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 18, 2022
Let’s take a journey through the history of this coveted prize, and answer some of the most asked questions about the award. Watch & Bet Football =>
| # | World Cup | Golden Ball | Silver Ball | Bronze Ball |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026 Canada, Mexico and USA | |||
| 5 | 2022 Qatar | Lionel Messi | Kylian Mbappé | Luka Modrić |
| 3 | 2018 Russia | Luka Modrić | Eden Hazard | Antoine Griezmann |
| 4 | 2014 Brazil | Lionel Messi | Thomas Müller | Arjen Robben |
| 5 | 2010 South Africa | Diego Forlán | Wesley Sneijder | David Villa |
| 6 | 2006 Germany | Zinedine Zidane | Fabio Cannavaro | Andrea Pirlo |
| 7 | 2002 South Korea/Japan | Oliver Kahn | Ronaldo | Hong Myung-bo |
| 8 | 1998 France | Ronaldo | Davor Šuker | Lilian Thuram |
| 9 | 1994 United States | Romário | Roberto Baggio | Hristo Stoichkov |
| 10 | 1990 Italy | Salvatore Schillaci | Lothar Matthäus | Diego Maradona |
| 11 | 1986 Mexico | Diego Maradona | Toni Schumacher | Preben Elkjær |
| 12 | 1982 Spain | Paolo Rossi | Falcão | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
List of World Cup Golden Boot Winners by year
Which players have finished as the leading goal scorers of each season since the inception of the FIFA World Cup in 1930? Here is the all time World Cup Golden Boot Winners list by year since 1930-2026:
| World Cup | Golden Boot | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 Uruguay |
Winners | Guillermo Stábile | 8 |
| Runners-up | Pedro Cea | 5 | |
| Third place | Bert Patenaude | 4 | |
1934 Italy |
Winners | Oldřich Nejedlý | 5 |
| Runners-up | Edmund Conen Angelo Schiavio |
4 | |
| Third place | None | ||
| 1938 France |
Winners | Leônidas | 7 |
| Runners-up | György Sárosi Gyula Zsengellér Silvio Piola |
5 | |
| Third place | None | ||
| 1950 Brazil |
Winners | Ademir | 8 |
| Runners-up | Óscar Míguez | 5 | |
| Third place | Alcides Ghiggia Chico Estanislau Basora Telmo Zarra |
4 | |
1954 Switzerland |
Winners | Sándor Kocsis | 11 |
| Runners-up | Josef Hügi Max Morlock Erich Probst |
6 | |
| Third place | None | ||
| 1958 Sweden
|
Winners | Just Fontaine | 13 |
| Runners-up | Pelé Helmut Rahn |
6 | |
| Third place | None | ||
| 1962 Chile |
Winners | Flórián Albert Valentin Ivanov Garrincha Vavá Dražan Jerković Leonel Sánchez |
4 |
| Runners-up | None | ||
| Third place | None | ||
1966 England |
Winners | Eusébio | 9 |
| Runners-up | Helmut Haller | 6 | |
| Third place | Valeriy Porkujan Geoff Hurst Ferenc Bene Franz Beckenbauer |
4 | |
| 1970 Mexico |
Winners | Gerd Müller | 10 |
| Runners-up | Jairzinho | 7 | |
| Third place | Teófilo Cubillas | 5 | |
| 1974 West Germany
|
Winners | Grzegorz Lato | 7 |
| Runners-up | Andrzej Szarmach Johan Neeskens |
5 | |
| Third place | None | ||
| 1978 Argentina
|
Winners | Mario Kempes | 6 |
| Runners-up | Teófilo Cubillas | 5 | |
| Third place | Rob Rensenbrink | 5 | |
1982 Spain |
Winners | Paolo Rossi | 6 |
| Runners-up | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 5 | |
| Third place | Zico | 4 | |
| 1986 Mexico |
Winners | Gary Lineker | 6 |
| Runners-up | Emilio Butragueño Careca Diego Maradona |
5 | |
| Third place | None | ||
1990 Italy |
Winners | Salvatore Schillaci | 6 |
| Runners-up | Tomáš Skuhravý | 5 | |
| Third place | Roger Milla | 4 | |
1998 France |
Winners | Davor Šuker | 6 |
| Runners-up | Gabriel Batistuta Christian Vieri |
5 | |
| Third place | None | ||
2002 South Korea/Japan |
Winners | Ronaldo | 8 |
| Runners-up | Miroslav Klose Rivaldo |
5 | |
| Third place | None | ||
| 2006 Germany
|
Winners | Miroslav Klose | 5 |
| Runners-up | Hernán Crespo | 3 | |
| Third place | Ronaldo | 3 | |
| 2010 South Africa |
Winners | Thomas Muller (T) | 5 |
| Runners-up | David Villa | 5 | |
| Third place | Wesley Sneijder | 5 | |
| 2014 Brazil |
Winners | James Rodriguez | 6 |
| Runners-up | Thomas Muller | 5 | |
| Third place | Neymar | 4 | |
2018 Russia |
Winners | Harry Kane | 6 |
| Runners-up | Antoine Griezmann | 4 | |
| Third place | Romelu Lukaku | 4 | |
| 2022 Qatar
|
Winners | Kylian Mbappé | 8 |
| Runners-up | Lionel Messi | 7 | |
| Third place | Olivier Giroud | 4 | |
| 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico
|
Winners | ||
| Runners-up | |||
| Third place |
List of World Cup Golden Boot Winners by country
Here is the all time World Cup Golden Boot Winners list by country:
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Italy | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Brazil | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| West Germany/Germany | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| France | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Croatia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Uruguay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Belgium | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Denmark | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Has Ronaldo Won a World Cup Golden Boot?
Yes — but it wasn’t Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Ronaldo who won a FIFA World Cup Golden Boot is Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima — commonly known as Ronaldo (Brazil) or Ronaldo Nazário, the legendary Brazilian striker.
He secured the Golden Boot at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan by scoring 8 goals across the tournament, including two decisive strikes in the final that helped Brazil lift their record fifth World Cup title.
This remains one of the most iconic goal‑scoring performances in World Cup history.
How Many FIFA World Cup Golden Boots Does Cristiano Ronaldo Have?
No — Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) has never won a FIFA World Cup Golden Boot in his career. Despite being one of the greatest goal scorers in football history and having played in five FIFA World Cups, he has not finished as the tournament’s top scorer — the criteria required to win the Golden Boot.
Cristiano has scored 8 goals in World Cup matches across his career, including a memorable hat‑trick against Spain in the 2018 tournament, but those tallies weren’t enough in any single edition to lead all players in goals scored.
He also has never won any official World Cup individual award — such as the Golden Ball (best player) or a Golden Boot — despite his brilliance in club and other international competitions.
How Many FIFA World Cup Golden Boots Does Messi Have?
Lionel Messi has zero World Cup Golden Boots.
Although he was one of the top scorers at the 2022 tournament with seven goals, he finished second to Mbappé and received the Silver Boot instead.
However, Messi’s World Cup legacy is nonetheless legendary — including winning the World Cup trophy itself with Argentina and earning multiple other FIFA awards.
Who Has More Golden Boots: Messi or Mbappé?
This question needs a slight clarification:
World Cup Golden Boots:
Lionel Messi has never won a World Cup Golden Boot.
Kylian Mbappé has won one — at the 2022 World Cup with 8 goals.
So in terms of World Cup Golden Boots, Mbappé has more than Messi.
More about World Cup Golden Boot winners
Make sure to also check out our other Golden Boot winners lists as they are also full of interesting information.
- UEFA Euro Top Goal Scorers of All Time
- UEFA Europa League Top Goal Scorers of All Time
- Premier League Golden Boot Winners List
- Premier League Top Goal Scorers All Time
- La Liga Golden Boot Winners List
- Top goalscorers in El Classico history List
- Serie A Golden Boot Winners List
- Bundesliga Golden Boot Winners List
The FIFA World Cup is the best and toughest competition in the world. You can read more about the World Cup Golden Boot winners at the official website. Watch & Bet Football =>
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