From 48, there are now two.
After Argentina out-lasted England in a thriller to advance to its second consecutive World Cup Final, only the Albiceleste and Spain have a chance of reaching the pinnacle of the sport.
Plus, as if he needed more individual accolades, Lionel Messi is one of two men with a realistic chance at claiming the Golden Boot. The race is down to just six players, but in all likelihood, it will be either Messi or Kylian Mbappé.
Here’s a look at the updated odds on DraftKings Sportsbook:
Messi has the slightest of edges in his quest to bring home his first Golden Boot. While both he and Mbappé are tied on eight goals, he has four assists to Mbappé’s three, which is the first tiebreaker. However, if both players finish even on both goals and assists, Mbappé would likely take home the award for the second consecutive tournament, as the second tiebreaker is total minutes played. Because none of France’s matches went to extra time, Mbappé has played 46 fewer minutes than Messi, who played all 30 minutes of extra time against both Cape Verde and Egypt.
Every other player is a massive long shot. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham both scored six goals on England’s road to the semifinals, and if either scores a hat trick in the bronze final against Les Bleus and neither Messi nor Mbappé score in their matches, that player would win the Golden Boot. Similarly, either Oyarzabal or Dembélé would claim it if he scores four goals in his match and neither Messi nor Mbappé scores. That feat has happened seven times, most recently by Oleg Salenko (five goals) in 1994, also held in the United States.
