There was a truly thrilling end to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Sunday as Argentina sealed their first World Cup trophy in 36 years with a penalty shootout win over France in the final.
In a stunning game, Lionel Messi gave his side the lead from the penalty spot before Angel Di Maria made it 2-0 early in the first half, with France star Kylian Mbappe then levelling the scores with an incredible quickfire double with 10 minutes left to send the game to extra-time.
A breathless half an hour of extra-time saw Messi grab another as he scrambled the ball into the French net to seemingly win the final for Argentina, before Mbappe came to the rescue again, taking the game to penalties with a historic World Cup final hat-trick.
Emi Martinez was the hero for Argentina in the shootout, saving a penalty before Gonzalo Montiel converted from the spot to seal the World Cup for the South Americans.
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While the game will be remembered for Messi finally getting his hands on the World Cup trophy, it was also crucial for deciding the outcome of this year's Golden Boot, which is awarded to the top scorer during the tournament.
Here are the final results, and everything else you need to know:
How is the Golden Boot decided?
The Golden Boot is awarded every World Cup to the player who scores the most goals at the tournament.
If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists shall be the deciding factor. If two or more players are still equal after taking into account the number of assists, the total minutes played in the tournament will be taken into account, with the player who played fewer minutes ranked first. A Silver Boot and a Bronze Boot will also be awarded for the second and third-highest goal scorers respectively.
Do penalty shootouts count towards the Golden Boot?
No, goals scored in penalty shootouts do not count towards the Golden Boot standings. In fact, they do not count towards any tally in any competition.
However, penalties that are scored within 90 minutes - such as Mbappe and Messi's spot-kicks in the final - count towards it, as do those scored within 120 minutes if the game goes to extra-time.
Unfortunately for shootout hero Emi Martinez, goalkeepers' statistics are also not affected by spot-kicks taken in penalty shootouts, only those during regular and extra-time.
Who has won the Golden Boot for the 2022 World Cup?
He may have lost the World Cup, but Kylian Mbappe has won the 2022 Golden Boot, with his historic hat-trick against Argentina lifting him above Lionel Messi, who briefly occupied the top spot following his first-half spot kick.
Mbappe scored eight goals during the tournament and grabbed two assists, with Messi scoring seven goals and assisting three. The Frenchman scored three of those in the final, with Messi scoring two.
Messi's teammate Julian Alvarez finished third with five goals to his name, while France's Olivier Giroud was unable to add to his tally of four after being substituted in the first half of the final.
The final World Cup 2022 top scorers table is as follows:
Kylian Mbappe - France - 8 goals, 2 assists
Lionel Messi - Argentina - 7 goals, 3 assists
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Julian Alvarez - Argentina - 5 goals, 0 assists
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Olivier Giroud - France - 4 goals, 0 assists
- Goncalo Ramos - Portugal / Alvaro Morata - Spain - 3 goals, 1 assist
Who are the previous winners?
Mbappe is in good company, with previous winners of the Golden Boot including Gerd Muller, Eusebio and Gary Lineker. The last five winners of the prestigious award are:
2002: Ronaldo - Brazil - 8 goals
2006: Miroslav Klose - Germany - 5 goals
2010: Thomas Muller - Germany - 5 goals
2014: James Rodriguez - Colombia - 6 goals
2018: Harry Kane - England - 6 goals
Where do Mbappe and Messi rank among all-time World Cup top scorers?
In just his second World Cup, Mbappe has already become one of the highest scorers in the tournament's history, taking his place among some legends of the game with 11 goals overall. He is now in joint fifth position at the age of 23, tied with Messi himself, as well as Brazilian icon Pele.
The list of all-time top goal scorers is as follows:
1. Miroslav Klose - Germany - 16 goals
2. Ronaldo - Brazil - 15 goals
3. Gerd Muller - West Germany - 14 goals
4. Just Fontaine - France / Lionel Messi - Argentina - 13 goals
5. Pele - Brazil / Kylian Mbappe - France - 12 goals
6. Jurgen Klinsmann - Germany / Sándor Kocsis - Hungary - 11 goals
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