For a career that defies description, Lionel Messi has won almost everything football has to offer. Two World Cup Golden Balls. Eight Ballon d'Or awards. Countless club and international trophies. And, of course, the FIFA World Cup itself, which he finally lifted in Qatar in 2022. Yet, surprisingly, one prize still remains absent from his cabinet: the World Cup Golden Boot. At 38, and playing what is almost certainly his final World Cup, Messi is making a compelling case to finally claim it.Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their second goal with Leandro Paredes (REUTERS)Five goals in two games. A hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opener. A brace against Austria that not only took him past Miroslav Klose's long-standing men's World Cup scoring record, but also beyond Marta's tally, making Messi the highest goalscorer in World Cup history across both men's and women's football with 18 goals. Not bad for a player who arrived at the tournament carrying concerns over a hamstring issue.After 44 matches in this World Cup, with the second round of group-stage games nearing completion, Messi leads the Golden Boot race.He came agonisingly close in Qatar four years ago. Messi scored seven goals during Argentina's title-winning run, only for Kylian Mbappe's stunning hat-trick in the final to take his tally to eight and secure the Golden Boot. That memory is unlikely to be far from Messi's mind.ALSO READ: Lionel Messi surpasses Miroslav Klose to become World Cup's highest goalscorer, Argentina seal World Cup knockout berthWith at least two, and potentially six, matches still to play, Messi is on course to become the first player to reach double figures in a World Cup since West Germany's Gerd Müller scored 10 goals in 1970.The Argentine is also the first player since France's Just Fontaine in 1958 to score five goals in his team's opening two matches of a World Cup. Remarkably, he is only the second man to score his nation's first five goals of a tournament, after Russia's Oleg Salenko in 1994.Who are the challengers?Mbappe remains the biggest threat. The France forward has four goals already and is chasing history of his own. He now sits just two goals behind Messi in the all-time World Cup scoring charts and has made no secret of his desire to climb to the top. Having scored in both of France's group matches, and with Les Bleus looking like genuine contenders, Mbappe will have plenty more opportunities. The battle between Messi and Mbappe may yet become the defining subplot of this World Cup.Then there is Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker also has four goals after scoring braces in each of Norway's opening two matches. His concern is not form, but how far Norway can progress. The deeper they go, the greater his chances of staying in the race.Harry Kane cannot be ignored either. The 2018 Golden Boot winner already has two goals and remains England's biggest attacking threat. He will have the opportunity to add to that tally when England face Ghana on ThursdayBrazil's Vinicius Junior has also emerged as a contender with two goals in two games.Can Cristiano Ronaldo join the race?At the moment, that appears unlikely. Portugal's disappointing draw against DR Congo brought renewed scrutiny on both the team and Ronaldo. The 41-year-old has now gone 10 consecutive matches at major tournaments without scoring and desperately needs a goal against Uzbekistan to revive both his campaign and Portugal's momentum.If Ronaldo finds his scoring touch and Portugal make a deep run, he could yet enter the conversation. But for now, he finds himself watching from the outside as Messi continues to extend a record that he can no longer reach.Messi's final danceMessi's last World Cup is producing moments that defy logic. At an age when most players have long since retired, he is carrying Argentina, rewriting history and moving closer to the one major individual honour that has always escaped him.The Golden Boot remains within touching distance. The only question is whether Mbappe, Haaland and the rest of the chasing pack will allow him to have it.