Sunday's FIFA World Cup final showdown between Argentina and France will be the most precious game for both teams as the match will not only choose the world champions but also determine the Golden Boot, the Golden Ball and the Ballon d'Or winners. The World Cup Golden Boot is perhaps the most sought-after award that any player dreams for in the sport and this time around the four players — Lionel Messi (Argentina), Kylian Mbappe (France), Julian Alvarez (Argentina) and Olivier Giroud (France) — vying for it are playing the final.
The Golden Boot goes to the highest scorer in the tournament.
While the last time an Argentine — Mario Kempes — became the highest goalscorer in the World Cup was 44 years ago (in 1978), a French had the honour last time in 1958 when Just Fontaine scored most goals in the event.
It was 20 years ago, in the 2002 World Cup, when a player from the team playing the final won the Golden Boot. Brazil's Ronaldo took home the award as he was top goalscorer of the tournament. He scored in the final too and the goal helped Brazil clinch the Cup. The award for the top goalscorer of the tournament was instituted in 1982, but it was called Golden Shoe then. It was in 2010 that it was rechristened as Golden Boot.
Meanwhile, the final will also decide recipients of Golden Ball that is given to best players of the tournament. Lionel Messi was conferred the best player award in 2014 when he led Argentina to the final, which they lost to Germany. Messi has got four Man of the Match performances in 2022 while Mbappe has three under his belt.
A victory will also determine the stalwart of the team to clinch the prestigious Ballon d'Or. The World Cup final win for Argentina could see Messi win his eighth Ballon d'Or while a victory for France could see Mbappe win his first.
In this tournament, Mbappe played as a left winger in most of the matches while Messi has largely played as a second striker in a two-striker system of 4-4-2 format.