Table of Contents
- What exactly is the World Cup Golden Boot?
- The history of the World Cup Golden Boot
- Who is the current holder of the World Cup Golden Boot?
- Does the World Cup Golden Boot winner get paid?
- Who holds the record for the most goals ever scored in a World Cup?
- Recap: The World Cup Golden Boot
Even in team sports, personal accolades are highly sought after. Whether it’s Super Bowl MVP or the Heisman trophy in college football, every athlete knows that, in all likelihood, hitting their personal targets with benefit the team’s overall objectives.
Soccer is no different, and the greatest individual prize you can win in the sport’s crowning tournament is the Golden Boot award.
So, what is the Golden Boot? Does winning it matter?
Get ready for some goals because we’re going to talk about some of the best attacking talents the World Cup has ever witnessed.
What exactly is the World Cup Golden Boot?
The player who scores the most amount of goals in a World Cup wins the Golden Boot award. You might sometimes hear the award called the Golden Shoe but it’s the same thing as the Golden Boot.
It doesn’t matter what position the player is in, even though attackers usually win the award because they find themselves in goalscoring positions more frequently; anybody can win the Golden Boot.
If two or more players are tied for most goals at the end of the tournament, FIFA will award the Golden Boot to whoever recorded the most assists throughout the finals as a tiebreaker. Other tiebreakers are then used if this remains level.
The history of the World Cup Golden Boot
FIFA has kept records of the top goal scorers in all World Cups but didn’t always give out an actual prize.
The award only came into formal existence in 1982 at the World Cup in Spain, but back then, it was called the Golden Shoe.
The story of the very first Golden Boot/Shoe award is probably the most iconic; Italian striker Paolo Rossi had been, according to the media, desperately lacking fitness because of his two-year ban, which had just come to an end. Despite this, Enzo Bearzot selected the attacker for his squad.
Rossi looked shoddy in Italy’s opening three matches, no doubt putting a smug “I told you so” look on the faces of those pessimistic journalists. Then, in the second group stage, Paolo Rossi and Italy jumped into life with a flood of goals that would go on to see him win the Golden Shoe award and help his side lift the World Cup.
This Golden Shoe moniker remained until 2010 when FIFA decided to rename it the Golden Boot, a term many more soccer fans are more familiar with.
Some of the well-known winners include England’s Gary Lineker, Ronaldo for Brazil, German forward Thomas Müller, Argentina’s Mario Kempes, Salvatore Schillaci for Italy, and Croatian striker Davor Šuker.
In modern times, there are fantasy implications and bookmakers providing odds on who will finish top of the tree in terms of scoring; such is the popularity.
Who is the current holder of the World Cup Golden Boot?
The Golden Boot winner from the last World Cup was England’s Harry Kane, who scored 6 goals in total at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
England reached the semi-final of that tournament, losing out to Croatia in extra time. Kane was talismanic in England’s run to the latter stages of the tournament.
He did state his regret for not scoring in the semi-final for England though, particularly after being presented with some clear openings.
Kane will look to retain his Golden Boot title and will, of course, hope that his side can go at least one step better at this World Cup and appear in the tournament’s final.
There will be some star names looking to dethrone the Tottenham Hotspur forward at this upcoming World Cup. Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Messi are among those looking to be crowned the new king of international goalscoring.
Does the World Cup Golden Boot winner get paid?
It’s unclear whether players are awarded a cash prize for winning the World Cup Golden Boot, but it might be irrelevant anyway because a lot of international players these days donate their earnings from their country to charity.
We know how much money Premier League stars and others in top leagues get paid by their clubs, so it’s likely that all the World Cup prize money a soccer governing body receives from FIFA post-World Cup, for the team and if individuals receive some, would go to good causes.
Whether money is a motivator for goalscoring is up for debate. The sense of achievement and national pride that comes with playing for your country is enough to spur you on, many feel.
Wondering if players get paid for their appearances in the FIFA World Cup? Discover if soccer players get paid for playing for their national teams.
Who holds the record for the most goals ever scored in a World Cup?
The player with the most goals at a FIFA World Cup is France’s Just Fontaine, who scored a staggering 13 goals at the 1958 tournament in Sweden.
After the Frenchman comes Sándor Kocsis with 11 for Hungary in 1954, Gerd Müller with 10 for West Germany in 1970, Portuguese legend Eusébio with 9 in 1966, then three separate players scoring 8 goals on different occasions.
Interestingly, the lowest tally ever recorded at a World Cup finals was achieved four years later in Chile, when six players tied for top scorer with just four goals.
Germany’s Miroslav Klose, a thorn in defenders’ paws for many a World Cup, holds the record for the most World Cup goals ever scored with a whopping total of 16.
It’s clear to see how dominant Germany and Brazil have been over the years, each having two players in the top 5 list of World Cup scorers ever. Apart from Klose, the others are Ronaldo, Gerd Müller, Just Fontaine (all of his were scored in one tournament!), and Pelé.
10 out of the last 11 World Cups have seen the Golden Boot winner score 6 goals or fewer.
Recap: The World Cup Golden Boot
The World Cup is a festival of soccer, and what better way to enjoy that party spirit than feasting on goals?
Hopefully, this upcoming World Cup is a high-scoring one, meaning competition for the Golden Boot award will be fierce.
Now sit back and enjoy some of the planet’s greatest talents try to bag as many as they can.