The Golden Boot is the award that goes to the top scorer of the competition, which began in 1930. While the main goal for every player competing in a World Cup is to lift the trophy, individual awards can also secure a place in history. While the Golden Ball is subjective because it recognizes the tournament’s best player, the Golden Boot is more objective, as it crowns the competition’s top scorer.
Even if the greatest players have not always shined at the World Cup, the list of Golden Boot winners features many names that rank among the best in the history of the sport, even if some never won the tournament.
The list also includes some surprising winners who produced the best month of their careers when it mattered most, such as James Rodriguez in 2014 and Salvatore Schillaci in 1990.
World CupPlayer(s)CountryGoals1930Guillermo StábileArgentina81934Oldřich NejedlýCzechoslovakia51938LeônidasBrazil71950AdemirBrazil91954Sándor KocsisHungary111958Just FontaineFrance131962Garrincha, Vavá, Dražan Jerković, Leonel Sánchez, Flórián Albert, Valentin IvanovBrazil, Brazil, Yugoslavia, Chile, Hungary, Soviet Union41966EusébioPortugal91970Gerd MüllerWest Germany101974Grzegorz LatoPoland71978Mario KempesArgentina61982Paolo RossiItaly61986Gary LinekerEngland61990Salvatore SchillaciItaly61994Oleg Salenko, Hristo StoichkovRussia, Bulgaria61998Davor ŠukerCroatia62002RonaldoBrazil82006Miroslav KloseGermany52010Thomas MüllerGermany52014James RodríguezColombia62018Harry KaneEngland62022Kylian MbappéFrance8