The FIFA World Cup is held once every four years and several awards are handed out to the best players every single edition. The Golden Boot is presented to the top goal-scorer of the edition.
The top scorer award was first branded as the Golden Shoe from 1982 to 2006 and then rebranded to its current name in the 2010. Brazil and Germany have the players with the most Golden Boots in the tournament’s history.
Guillermo Stabile scored eight goals for Argentina in the inaugural edition of the football World Cup in 1930. His performances helped Argentina to finish runners-up after an all-South American final against Uruguay.
Only three players have notched up double figures in a single FIFA World Cup. Just Fontaine holds the record for the most goals in a single edition – 13. The French striker began the 1958 edition with a hat-trick against Paraguay. Fontaine scored thrice in the final two group games before netting a brace in the quarter-final.
Just Fontaine broke the record for most goals scored in a single edition after smashing four goals against West Germany, the champions of the 1954 FIFA World Cup, in the third place playoff. All scored with boots borrowed from teammate Stephane Bruey.
Sandor Kocsis held the record for most goals in a single edition before Fontaine as the Hungarian legend scored 11 goals in the 1954 edition of the tournament. Hungary finished as runners-up after West Germany won the final in “The Miracle of Bern”.
Another legend on the list of Golden Boot winners is Gerd Muller, who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Muller was the first German player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot. He scored 10 goals at the 1970 edition in Mexico to achieve the feat, which included a brace in their semi-final defeat against Italy. Muller inspired the team to the title in the next edition in 1974.
The two other Germans on the list, Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose, won the Golden Boot in the 2010 and 2006 editions, respectively. Klose’s five goals helped the Germans clinch the third spot on home soil, while Muller also smashed five goals in his maiden appearance in the tournament. Thomas Muller then won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany.
At the turn of the century, Ronaldo Nazario inspired the Brazilian national team to the FIFA World Cup title in 2002, scoring eight goals, including a brace in the final against Germany. The Brazilian won two World Cup titles representing the Selecao.
English striker Harry Kane won the trophy in the 2018 edition as his six goals guided the Three Lions to a fourth-place finish.
Gary Lineker, Eusebio, Leonidas and Davor Suker are among the other notable players to finish as the top goal-scorers in a single FIFA World Cup.
Golden Boot winners of FIFA World Cup
|
Year |
Player |
Country |
Goals |
|
1930 |
Guillermo Stabile |
Argentina |
8 |
|
1934 |
Oldrich Nejedly |
Czechoslovakia |
5 |
|
1938 |
Leonidas |
Brazil |
7 |
|
1950 |
Ademir |
Brazil |
8 |
|
1954 |
Sandor Kocsis |
Hungary |
11 |
|
1958 |
Just Fontaine |
France |
13 |
|
1962 |
Florian Albert |
Hungary |
4 |
|
1966 |
Eusebio |
Portugal |
9 |
|
1970 |
Gerd Muller |
Germany |
10 |
|
1974 |
Grzegorz Lato |
Poland |
7 |
|
1978 |
Mario Kempes |
Argentina |
6 |
|
1982 |
Paolo Rossi |
Italy |
6 |
|
1986 |
Gary Lineker |
England |
6 |
|
1990 |
Salvatore Schillaci |
Italy |
6 |
|
1994 |
Oleg Salenko |
Russia |
6 |
|
1998 |
Davor Suker |
Croatia |
6 |
|
2002 |
Ronaldo Nazario |
Brazil |
6 |
|
2006 |
Miroslav Klose |
Germany |
5 |
|
2010 |
Thomas Muller |
Germany |
5 |
|
2014 |
James Rodriguez |
Colombia |
6 |
|
2018 |
Harry Kane |
England |
6 |