Insights

World Cup Golden Boot Winners

World Football December 9, 2025 100

Welcome to our page on FIFA World Cup Golden Boot, where we look back at every top scorer from the first World Cup in 1930 all the way to recent tournaments. These winners include legends like Gerd Müller, Eusebio, Ronaldo and many more. Below you can explore each tournament’s leading scorer.

1930 – Guillermo Stábile (Argentina) – 8 Goals

Guillermo Stábile was the first ever Golden Boot winner. He scored a hat-trick against Mexico, two more vs Chile, another two in the semi-final against the USA, and one in the final. Argentina still lost 4–2 to Uruguay.

1934 – Oldřich Nejedlý (Czechoslovakia) – 5 Goals

Nejedlý found the net against Romania and Switzerland, then scored a hat-trick against Germany. He couldn’t score in the final, and Czechoslovakia finished runners-up.

1938 – Leônidas (Brazil) – 7 Goals

Leônidas began with a hat-trick in a wild 6-5 win over Poland. He added goals against Czechoslovakia in both matches and scored twice more against Sweden to secure third place.

1950 – Ademir (Brazil) – 8 Goals

Ademir scored four times in the group stage, then four more against Sweden, plus another against Spain. Despite his goals, Brazil lost the deciding match 2–1 to Uruguay in front of nearly 200,000 fans.

1954 – Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) – 11 Goals

Kocsis powered Hungary to a runner-up finish. He hit a hat-trick against South Korea, four against West Germany, and two each vs Brazil and Uruguay. He failed to score in the final.

1958 – Just Fontaine (France) – 13 Goals

Fontaine still holds the record for most goals at a single World Cup. He scored in every game, including a hat-trick in the first match, four in the third-place playoff, and many more throughout France’s run.

1962 – Six Players Tied – 4 Goals Each

Flórián Albert, Garrincha, Valentín Ivanov, Dražan Jerković, Leonel Sánchez and Vavá all scored four goals. Garrincha and Vavá scored all their goals in the knockout stage.

1966 – Eusébio (Portugal) – 9 Goals

Eusébio delivered a brilliant performance with goals against Brazil, four vs North Korea, and strikes against England and the USSR. Portugal finished third.

1970 – Gerd Müller (Germany) – 10 Goals

Müller scored in almost every match, including two hat-tricks in a row. He added key goals against England and Italy, finishing with ten in total.

1974 – Grzegorz Lato (Poland) – 7 Goals

Lato led Poland to third place. He scored against Argentina and Haiti, then added goals vs Sweden, Yugoslavia, and Brazil.

1978 – Mario Kempes (Argentina) – 6 Goals

Kempes didn’t score in the first group stage but came alive later. He hit two against Poland, two against Peru, and two more in the final against the Netherlands to win the tournament.

1982 – Paolo Rossi (Italy) – 6 Goals

Italy struggled early, but Rossi exploded in the second stage. He scored a hat-trick vs Brazil, two goals vs Poland in the semi-final, and one in the final win over Germany.

1986 – Gary Lineker (England) – 6 Goals

Lineker scored a hat-trick against Poland, two vs Paraguay, and once vs Argentina in the famous “Hand of God” match.

1990 – Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) – 6 Goals

Schillaci was a surprise hero. He scored off the bench against Austria, then kept scoring through the tournament as Italy finished third.

1994 – Oleg Salenko (Russia) & Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria) – 6 Goals

Salenko scored a record five goals in one match vs Cameroon. Stoichkov scored consistently as Bulgaria reached the semi-finals.

1998 – Davor Šuker (Croatia) – 6 Goals

Šuker scored in almost every match, helping Croatia finish third in their first ever World Cup.

2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil) – 8 Goals

Ronaldo was unstoppable, scoring four times in the group stage and four more in the knockouts—including both goals in the final against Germany.

2006 – Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 5 Goals

Klose scored twice against Costa Rica and Ecuador and once against Argentina. Germany finished third.

2010 – Diego Forlán, Thomas Müller, Wesley Sneijder, David Villa – 5 Goals

Four players shared the Golden Boot. All reached the semi-finals, with Spain eventually winning the tournament.

2014 – James Rodríguez (Colombia) – 6 Goals

James scored in every match until Colombia’s exit. His volley against Uruguay is considered one of the best World Cup goals ever.

2018 – Harry Kane (England) – 6 Goals

Kane started strong, scoring early against Tunisia, then a hat-trick vs Panama, and a penalty vs Colombia. England reached the semi-finals.

2022 – Kylian Mbappé (France) – 8 Goals

Mbappé lit up the tournament with explosive pace and clinical finishing, scoring in every knockout game and hitting a historic final hat-trick. He won the World Cup Golden Boot with eight goals.