Lionel Messi has strengthened his grip on the race for the adidas Golden Boot and climbed to the summit of FIFA’s Creativity Power Rankings ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
The latest rankings, released after the semi-finals, place the Argentine captain at the top of the Golden Boot standings with eight goals and four assists. He is level on goals with France’s Kylian Mbappe but holds the advantage due to having one more assist, the first tiebreaker used by FIFA.
Mbappe, whose France side will face England in the third-place play-off, remains in contention for the award, while Messi will have the chance to extend his tally in Sunday’s final against Spain.
Norway striker Erling Haaland occupies third place with seven goals despite his country’s quarter-final exit. England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane follow with six goals each, while Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal is the highest-ranked finalist after Messi, having scored five goals and provided one assist.
Messi also surged to the top of FIFA’s Creativity Power Rankings after producing two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final victory over England. He moved ahead of France’s Michael Olise, with Belgium’s Jeremy Doku, Mbappe and England’s Anthony Gordon completing the top five.
In the Attacking Power Rankings, Mbappe remains first with a rating of 8.93, narrowly ahead of Messi on 8.63, while Bellingham sits third.
Spain continued to dominate the defensive charts, with Rodri leading the Defending rankings ahead of teammates Pedro Porro and Pau Cubarsi.
Meanwhile, Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa retained first place in FIFA’s “Defending the Goal” category, while England’s Jordan Pickford remained the leading goalkeeper in the “In Possession” rankings, ahead of Spain’s Unai Simon.
With the World Cup final approaching, Messi is on course to finish as the tournament’s top scorer while also emerging as its most influential creative player. has strengthened his grip on the race for the adidas Golden Boot and climbed to the summit of FIFA’s Creativity Power Rankings ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
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The latest rankings, released after the semi-finals, place the Argentine captain at the top of the Golden Boot standings with eight goals and four assists. He is level on goals with France’s Kylian Mbappe but holds the advantage due to having one more assist, the first tiebreaker used by FIFA.
Mbappe, whose France side will face England in the third-place play-off, remains in contention for the award, while Messi will have the chance to extend his tally in Sunday’s final against Spain.
Norway striker Erling Haaland occupies third place with seven goals despite his country’s quarter-final exit. England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane follow with six goals each, while Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal is the highest-ranked finalist after Messi, having scored five goals and provided one assist.
Messi also surged to the top of FIFA’s Creativity Power Rankings after producing two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final victory over England. He moved ahead of France’s Michael Olise, with Belgium’s Jeremy Doku, Mbappe and England’s Anthony Gordon completing the top five.
In the Attacking Power Rankings, Mbappe remains first with a rating of 8.93, narrowly ahead of Messi on 8.63, while Bellingham sits third.
Spain continued to dominate the defensive charts, with Rodri leading the Defending rankings ahead of teammates Pedro Porro and Pau Cubarsi.
Meanwhile, Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa retained first place in FIFA’s “Defending the Goal” category, while England’s Jordan Pickford remained the leading goalkeeper in the “In Possession” rankings, ahead of Spain’s Unai Simon.
With the World Cup final approaching, Messi is on course to finish as the tournament’s top scorer while also emerging as its most influential creative player.
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