Messi's two assists edge him ahead of Mbappe as Argentina reach World Cup final

Lionel Messi edged ahead of Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup Golden Boot race after delivering two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final victory over England on Wednesday night, booking a place in Sunday’s final against Spain in New York.

With eight goals at this tournament, Messi had been level with France’s Mbappe heading into the last four. FIFA’s tiebreaker rules, which factor in assists when players are level on goals, now place the 39-year-old Inter Miami forward above the Real Madrid striker. Mbappe will have a chance to respond when France face England in Saturday’s third-place playoff, but if he fails to outscore or out-assist Messi, the Golden Boot will effectively be decided before the final kicks off.

Argentina’s path to the final has been anything but straightforward. Lionel Scaloni’s side survived a dramatic last-32 tie against Cape Verde, came from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16, needed extra time to eliminate Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and then came from behind again to defeat Thomas Tuchel’s England in the semis.

Victory on Sunday would make Argentina the first nation to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962. Messi would also become the first captain to lift the trophy twice, and only the second player after Brazil’s Cafu to appear in three World Cup finals.

Speaking after the win over England, Messi reflected on the significance of the result. “It was a special match against England, we couldn’t lose,” he said. “While this group doesn’t owe anything to anyone, you know how Argentinians are, we always demand more. I think if we had lost today, people would have come out and said some nonsense, and we didn’t give them the chance. We knew that we were better than them in terms of football.”

He added: “Everything we experienced was incredible, from the very beginning. Although it was a football match, when we started to enter the field and during the anthem, we experienced special feelings, and the group felt that. It wasn’t just another victory; it was an important victory that the Argentine people wanted.”

Argentina face Spain — the Euro 2024 champions — in Sunday’s final, with a place in history on the line for Messi and a nation that has already rewritten the record books once in his name.