Lionel Messi goes into the World Cup final with two major individual storylines around him. The Argentina star is trying to close the gap on Kylian Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot, the prize given to the tournament’s top scorer, while also putting himself in position to claim another Golden Ball for the competition’s best overall player.
Messi’s challenge for the scoring award is the tougher of the two. He has collected nearly every major honor in soccer, but finishing as the World Cup’s leading scorer has eluded him. With Mbappé ahead in the goal race, the final gives Messi one last opportunity to change that.
At the same time, Messi’s broader influence on Argentina’s run keeps him firmly in the conversation for the Golden Ball. A third such award would add another remarkable chapter to his World Cup career and underline how central he has been to his team’s progress.
The final therefore carries weight beyond the result itself. It is not only a match between Argentina and France for the trophy, but also a direct showdown between two of the tournament’s biggest stars, with the top individual awards still in play.
