Erling Haaland has thrust himself back into the Golden Boot race, but as the World Cup reaches the quarter-finals it is Lionel Messi who remains the man to catch.Messi’s stunning equaliser in Argentina’s dramatic comeback against Egypt took him to a tournament-leading eight goals, leaving him the +120 favourite with BetMGM to finish as the World Cup’s top scorer.Before the Round of 16, Messi and Kylian Mbappé had begun to separate themselves from the chasing pack. Messi remained the frontrunner, with Mbappé close behind at +140 with Fanatics — a price still available at DraftKings heading into the final eight.For a while, it looked as though Messi’s Golden Boot challenge might end alongside Argentina’s tournament. He missed a penalty, his side fell 2-0 behind and faced elimination. But the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner sparked an extraordinary turnaround, assisting one goal and scoring the equalizer before Argentina completed a memorable comeback.
Mbappé and Haaland sit one goal behind on seven and both have the chance to draw level — or move ahead — when France face Morocco and Norway take on England in the quarter-finals. Haaland almost single-handedly knocked out Brazil with two stunning goals in Norway’s 2-1 win in the final 16.Haaland, who knows England well from his time at Manchester City, is priced as high as +700 with Bet365 and Fanatics to win the Golden Boot.England also have a contender in the race. Harry Kane moved onto six goals with his penalty against Mexico and remains firmly in contention. The Bayern Munich striker Kane is available at +800.It is perhaps fitting that four of the world’s most prolific forwards are leading the race at this stage of the tournament.Messi, Mbappé, Haaland and Kane have combined for 28 goals, underlining both their quality and their importance to their countries’ hopes of lifting the trophy.Just behind the leading quartet, France’s Ousmane Dembélé, England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal remain outsiders on four goals apiece, needing a prolific finish to the tournament to force their way into contention. At this point, though, those players are outsiders to win the Golden Boot. All have 40-to-1 or longer odds.Jul 7, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
