At the World Cup, lifting the trophy is the ultimate goal for every player involved. However, there are a number of individual awards on offer for the tournament’s standout players.

The Golden Ball is given to the tournament’s best player, whilst the Golden Glove is awarded to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets. But for any attacking player, their eyes will be on the Golden Boot — the award given to the player who scores the most goals during the World Cup.

The Golden Boot is regarded as the greatest individual accolade a player can win at the World Cup, with many of its previous winners considered footballing royalty. And positively, if an attacker just misses out on the top spot, they still have a chance of winning either the Silver Boot or Bronze Boot for finishing second or third, respectively, in the goalscoring charts.

So, from all the way back to the inaugural 1930 edition to the most recent World Cup in 2022, here are the Golden Boot winners from previous editions of the tournament.

World Cup 1930

Guillermo Stabile (8 goals)

Stabile made an incredible impact on his debut for Argentina, scoring a hat trick in the second group stage game against Mexico. The striker added two more against Chile in the final group game. In the semi-finals, Stabile recorded another brace to help his team into the final. But despite scoring Argentina’s second goal and leading at halftime, they ultimately lost 4-2 to Uruguay.

Still, Stabile will forever be etched into history as the first ever World Cup Golden Boot winner.

World Cup 1934

Oldřich Nejedlý (5 goals)

Nejedlý initially shared the Golden Boot accolade with Conen and Schiavio on four goals. But in 2006, the Czechoslovakian striker was credited with a fifth goal, making him the outright winner of the second ever World Cup Golden Boot. His goals helped his nation to the final of the tournament where they lost 2-1 to Italy, courtesy of a stoppage time winner from Schiavio.

World Cup 1938

Leonidas (7 goals)

Leonidas opened his World Cup account with a stellar hat trick against Poland, before scoring in both the quarterfinal and its replay against Czechoslovakia. After missing the semifinal through injury, which saw Brazil eliminated, Leonidas secured his seven-goal Golden Boot with a brace in the third place playoff against Sweden, which they won 4-2.

World Cup 1950

Ademir (9 goals)

Twelve years after the previous edition, with the outbreak of war leading to a lengthy postponement, another Brazilian stepped forward to star for his country. Ademir recorded nine goals and six assists as part of a deadly attacking trio with Zizinho and Jair. Unsurprisingly, Brazil made it to the final in 1950, but sadly they could not overcome their South American rivals Uruguay on home soil.

World Cup 1954

Sándor Kocsis (11 goals)

Hungarian great Kocsis made history in 1954, becoming the first player to score two hat tricks at a World Cup. His 11 goals also set a new standard, surpassing the record set by Ademir at the previous tournament. Having scored four goals in an 8-3 rout over West Germany in the group stage, Hungary would go on to lose 3-2 to the same opponents in the final. It was the only game that Kocsis failed to score in.

World Cup 1958

Just Fontaine (13 goals)

Just Fontaine’s incredible 1958 haul still sets the standard for an individual World Cup performance. Even though this is the only World Cup that the Frenchman scored at, he remains the sixth-highest scorer in World Cup history at the time of writing. But despite his unparalleled performance, France failed to go all the way, finishing third. Fontaine scored in every match he played, memorably scoring four against defending champions West Germany in the third place playoff.

World Cup 1962

Multiple Winners (4 goals)

After Fontaine’s dominance, the 1962 World Cup shared the spoils between six top attackers. Garrincha and Vava were helped by their World Cup win, fulfilling the maximum six appearances, as did Sanchez and Jerkovic, who settled for third and fourth, respectively, with Chile and Yugoslavia. But further praise must go to Albert and Ivanov, whose teams failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals. Whilst going down in history as joint-Golden Boot winners, they played far fewer minutes than their rivals.

World Cup 1966

Eusebio (9 goals)

Portugal great Eusebio was the clear Golden Boot winner in 1966, and he even did his best to try and stop England going all the way. After a memorable four-goal haul in the quarterfinals, Eusebio provided the lone reply to the Three Lions, as they defeated Portugal 2-1.

World Cup 1970

Gerd Müller (10 goals)

Der Bomber was West Germany’s standout player at the 1970 World Cup, recording back-to-back hat-tricks against Bulgaria and Peru, as well scoring against Italy, England, and Morocco. West Germany, however, could only muster third place despite Müller’s prolificacy.

World Cup 1974

Grzegorz Lato (7 goals)

Lato’s impressive efforts in 1974 helped Poland to secure their best ever finish at a World Cup. This feat would be repeated in 1982. Alongside strike partner Szarmach, they built a formidable duo. Lato concluded his tournament in style, scoring the only goal in the third place play-off against the mighty Brazil.

World Cup 1978

Mario Kempes (6 goals)

The legendary Argentinian striker was integral to the country’s first ever World Cup-winning squad. Kempes scored three braces in the tournament to win the Golden Boot: two against Poland, two against Peru, and two against the Netherlands in the final.

World Cup 1982

Paolo Rossi (6 goals)

Reuters

1982 was quite the year for Rossi. After returning from a controversial match-fixing ban, the Italian striker won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball, leading his country to World Cup glory over West Germany. His efforts saw him awarded the Ballon d’Or later that year. He remains one of the few players in history to have won these four accolades in one calendar year.

World Cup 1986

Gary Lineker (6 goals)

Diego Maradona may have stolen the headlines for all the wrong reasons, but Gary Lineker still made history as England’s first ever Golden Boot winner. A 25-minute hat-trick against Poland was the highlight of an impressive tournament, with England falling at the quarterfinal stage.

World Cup 1990

Salvatore Schillaci (6 goals)

Schillaci proved an unlikely hero after starting on the bench for Italy in their group stage opener. But as the tournament wore on, his influence grew. The striker’s goals helped Italy to the semifinals where they lost to defending champions Argentina on penalties. Schillaci scored the winner against England in the third place playoff to secure the Golden Boot outright.

World Cup 1994

Hristo Stoichkov and Oleg Salenko (6 goals)

Stoichkov’s key moment in the tournament came in the quarterfinals. His 75th minute goal kick-started an unlikely comeback against the defending champions Germany, delivering a major upset. But it was Salenko’s incredible five-goal haul against Cameroon in the group stage that stole the headlines. It remains the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup match.

World Cup 1998

Davor Šuker (6 goals)

Davor Šuker ensured that Croatia’s first ever World Cup was a memorable one. His goals took his country to the edge of the World Cup final, with his semifinal goal against eventual champions France giving Croatia a temporary lead. After losing to France 2-1, Šuker scored the winner in the third-place finish to round off a wonderful tournament for the debuting nation.

World Cup 2002

Ronaldo (8 goals)

Ronaldo formed a deadly trio with Rivaldo and Ronaldinho in 2002, delivering a fifth World Cup for Brazil. Ronaldo’s highlight came in the final, where he scored the only goals to help Brazil defeat Germany. He scored in every game at the tournament except for the quarterfinal against England.

World Cup 2006

Miroslav Klose (5 goals)

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Miroslav Klose’s five goals fell just short of the Golden Boot at the last tournament. But this time around, five goals were enough to see him beat an impressive chasing pack. Goals against Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Argentina helped Germany finish third in the tournament.

World Cup 2010

Thomas Muller (5 goals)

Whilst there were four players that finished the tournament on five goals, FIFA’s tiebreaker rules saw the Golden Boot officially given to Thomas Müller. The German attacker registered three assists, trumping the one assist recorded by each of his rivals. David Villa won the Silver Boot and Wesley Sneijder was awarded the Bronze Boot. This was decided via the least minutes played. Sadly for Diego Forlan, he had played just two minutes more than Sneijder in the tournament.

World Cup 2014

James Rodriguez (6 goals)

Clive Rose/Getty Images

James Rodriguez scored in every match for Colombia, helping the South American nation achieve their best ever finish at a World Cup. Reaching the quarterfinal stage where they 2-1 to Brazil, Rodriguez still managed to clinch the Golden Boot despite only playing five matches.

​​​​​​​World Cup 2018

Harry Kane (6 goals)

Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Harry Kane became just the second English World Cup Golden Boot winner since Gary Lineker with his haul in 2018. The striker surged into a commanding lead in the first two group games, scoring twice against Tunisia and recording a hat-trick against Panama. England eventually fell at the semifinal stage to Croatia.

​​​​​​​World Cup 2022

Kylian Mbappé (8 goals)

Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Kylian Mbappé was again the star for France as they reached back-to-back World Cup finals. The Frenchman then became the second player ever after England’s Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. Unfortunately for France, it still wasn’t enough to retain their title, losing on penalties to Argentina.

Arsenal may have the chance to land one of Andrea Berta’s dream targets this summer. The Gunners will be carefully crafting this summer’s transfer window as they look to keep the nucleus of a very successful squad together while trying to upgrade where needed.

Mikel Arteta’s men are already Premier League champions, but they fell just short of the Champions League title, and they know they likely need to improve if they want to beat the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich without relying solely on a massive defensive effort, as good that effort was against PSG.

Arsenal want some more quality on the left wing and midfield, while they could yet add another striker in anticipation of Gabriel Jesus’ likely departure.

Alvarez situation blows up

Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez shocked many when he revealed his wish to leave the club during a World Cup interview. He said: “I spoke with ​people at the club, with those I had to speak with and the ​best thing for everyone is ‌a transfer and I want to fulfill my dream. It’s not the time to talk about ​this, but I also can’t hide ⁠it. I try to ⁠be an honest person.”

Those comments came after Barcelona stirred up interest in Alvarez, and it led Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil to say: “Barcelona doesn’t respect and us believe they can belittle us. I feel great sadness in the face of Julián Álvarez statements.

“It was not the right day to make those statements; it was Messi’s day and that of the Argentine national team, not just Julian’s. Last year, Barcelona did something very similar with Nico Williams and Athletic Bilbao. Julian has a dream, and we at Atlético also have dreams. It is true that he spoke to us, but it is equally true that he knows our position well, because we have been very clear: Atlético does not want to sell. He is a great player and we are very proud to have him with us”

Arsenal will be watching keenly

Rodrigo Valle via Reuters

It is no secret that Arsenal chief Berta is a huge fan of Alvarez having spent a huge fee to sign the Argentine while he was with Atletico. The Gunners have continually been linked with a move for Alvarez and are said to be in contact over a move, but he has typically been off the table given he has a long contract and a very expensive release clause with Atleti.

As you can see from the Gil comments, Los Rojiblancos still don’t want to sell, but Alvarez pushing for a move can change that, and while he seems to be angling for a Barcelona move, it’s not out of the question that he would feel the same – or similar – about the Gunners, given they are now winning major titles, which could be a central part of his ‘dream’.

Alvarez can play on the wing and up top, which could really suit Arsenal this summer, given their needs, and it will be interesting to see how they respond to one of their long-term targets potentially becoming available.

‘Muchachos‘ — or ‘The Land of Diego and Lionel‘ — has become the defining soundtrack of Argentina at a World Cup.

Born in the stands, adopted by the players, and now ringing out across stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico, it is one of the most emotionally charged football anthems ever written.

With Lionel Messi defying age and logic to (somehow) create more history at the 2026 World Cup, the song has never felt more relevant.

What is Argentina’s ‘Muchachos’ song?

The lyrics were written by Argentine fan Fernando Romero, who rewrote the words to a 2003 hit by Argentine band La Mosca — ‘Muchachos, esta noche me emborracho’ (‘Guys, tonight I will get drunk’).

It was written following their win over Brazil in the 2021 Copa América, their first international title in 28 years. The famous song references Diego Maradona, who inspired Argentina to their World Cup triumph in 1986 and died in 2020, describing him as cheering Messi on “from the sky” alongside his father Don Diego and his mother La Tota.

It also pays tribute to the young soldiers lost in the Falklands War, and the years of heartbreak in finals before the 2021 Copa América victory over Brazil finally ended the drought.

Romero went viral after a TV broadcaster showed him singing the song outside a stadium, and it led to an official release prior to the 2022 World Cup and has been a staple ever since.

Messi himself chose it as his favourite football chant before the 2022 tournament and it became the soundtrack to Argentina’s Qatar journey to becoming champions, and now, it is back to spur on La Albiceleste once again with additional lyrics added.

Argentina ‘Muchachos’ chant lyrics

Lyrics in Spanish

Lyrics in English

‘Muchachos’ may be the anthem of the current and previous World Cup, but it is not the only song heard echoing around Argentina’s matches. Fans have also been belting out another song titled: ‘El que no brinque es inglés’ — ‘Whoever doesn’t jump is English’. That is one that would be sung even louder if they were to meet England in a tournament.

There’s also a brand-new song that also emerged for 2026, set to the rhythm of Argentine singer Gilda’s ‘No me arrepiento de este amor’. These lyrics focus on how this could be Messi’s last World Cup as well as the Argentinian dream of another World Cup triumph.

Maradona has also been honoured in song with — ‘El Diez’ — a hymn to the number ten that rang out across Mexico in 1986 and has never truly gone away.

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