Do goals in the third-place match count towards the Golden Boot?

With only two matches left in the World Cup, France and England will face off in the third-place match on Saturday before the final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday. However, England coach Thomas Tuchel does not see the importance of this match as too high. After losing to Argentina in the semi-final, he said that the players' main goal was to reach the final.

Tuchel said, "None of our players want to play this match, neither do the French players. Everyone wanted to play in the final."

However, this France-England match is important for another reason. Apart from the prize money, the goals in the match will also count towards the World Cup's Golden Boot. Four footballers from both teams are still in the running to win the top scorer award - Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Ousmane Dembele.

France's Mbappe is currently joint top scorer with Argentina's Lionel Messi with eight goals. However, the Argentine captain is in a slightly advantageous position as he is ahead in terms of assists. Erling Haaland was in third place with seven goals, but his chances of winning the Golden Boot are over after Norway's exit.

England's Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are next in line with six goals each. On the other hand, France's Ousmane Dembele and Spain's Mikel Arteta have scored five goals each. As a result, the final result of the Golden Boot depends a lot on whether France and England field their best XI in the third-place match.

The third-place match has also played an important role in the fight for the Golden Boot in World Cup history. In the third-place match between England and Belgium in 2018, Three Lions coach Gareth Southgate made five changes to the semi-final XI. Golden Boot winner Harry Kane played in that match but did not score.

Several previous World Cup top scorers have cemented their place by scoring in the third-place match. Germany's Thomas Muller in 2010, Croatia's Devor Sukar in 1998, Italy's Salvatore Schillaci in 1990 and Brazil's Leonidas in 1938 all scored in the third-place match to secure the Golden Boot.

Poland's Gregor Lato in 1974, Portugal's Eusebio in 1966 and France's Just Fontaine in 1958 also scored in the third-place match. Although they did not score in that match, they still had a chance to win the Golden Boot. This time, the performance of the France-England match could decide the fate of the World Cup's top scorer.

The Golden Boot contenders are:

Lionel Messi (Argentina - 8 goals, 4 assists)

Kylian Mbappe (France - 8 goals, 3 assists)

Erling Haaland (Norway - 7 goals)

Jude Bellingham (England - 6 goals, 1 assist)

Harry Kane (England - 6 goals, 1 assist)

Ousmane Dembele (France - 5 goals, 2 assists)

Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain - 5 goals, 1 assist)