Messi also has eight goals but trails the French forward by one assist, placing him second in the standings.
Norway striker Erling Haaland sits third with seven goals after scoring twice against Brazil in the quarter-finals, while England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are tied on six goals and one assist each.
“If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group) shall be decisive,” FIFA’s statement read.
“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 playing fewer minutes ranked first.”
Both stars will have at least two games left to win the Golden Boot, with a semi-final, final, or third-place match for Argentina and France.
Messi failed to score as Argentina edged past Switzerland 3-1 in their quarter-final clash, ending a run of nine consecutive World Cup games with a goal.
Source link
