9 June 2026
World Cup Golden Boot winners: recent history
The Golden Boot goes to the tournament's top scorer. Tallies have hovered between five and eight goals for decades — here are the winners since 1990.
| Year | Player | Country | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 8 |
| 2018 | Harry Kane | England | 6 |
| 2014 | James Rodríguez | Colombia | 6 |
| 2010 | Thomas Müller | Germany | 5 |
| 2006 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 5 |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 8 |
| 1998 | Davor Šuker | Croatia | 6 |
| 1994 | Oleg Salenko / Hristo Stoichkov | Russia / Bulgaria | 6 |
| 1990 | Salvatore Schillaci | Italy | 6 |
It usually takes around six goals to win it — a useful benchmark if you are picking a top scorer for 2026.