From Guillermo Stabile in 1930 to Harry Kane in 2018, 21 different players have won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot. But who are the all-time World Cup Golden Boot winners?
With anticipation for the 2022 World Cup building, now seems like a good time to look back at the best World Cup Golden Boot winners of all time. Let's get started with the top five.
Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) 1954
Sandor Kocsis of Hungary scored 11 goals in five games at the 1954 World Cup. He scored four goals against Germany after scoring a hat-trick against South Korea, and then back-to-back braces against Brazil and Uruguay.
Unfortunately for him and his country, Kocsis did not score as Hungary lost the final 3-2 to West Germany. Regardless, he will go down in history as one of the greatest World Cup Golden Boot winners of all time.
4. Just Fontaine - 1958 - France
Four years after Kocsis' heroics, Just Fontaine outdid himself. The legendary striker scored 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup, including a hat-trick in France's 7-3 thrashing of Paraguay in the opening game.
Fontaine went on to score doubles against Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland before scoring four goals against Germany in the third-place play-off. He would have ranked higher on this list if he had led his country to glory.
Mario Kempes (Argentina, 1978)
Mario Kempes is one of only three players in World Cup history to have won the Golden Boot and lifted the trophy at the end of the tournament. Surprisingly, the Argentine failed to score during the 1978 World Cup group stage.
He made up for lost time in the knockout phase, however. After scoring braces against Poland and Peru, Kempes added another double as Argentina defeated the Netherlands 3-1 to claim the trophy.
Paolo Rossi, Italy, 1982
Paolo Rossi of Italy, like Kempes, scored six goals in seven games to win the Golden Boot and a World Cup winner's medal. It's also worth noting that Rossi fired a blank in each of the tests.
1. Ronaldo - Brazil 2002
Few would argue that Cristiano Ronaldo is not the greatest World Cup Golden Boot winner of all time. After all, the legendary striker scored eight goals in seven games as Brazil won the World Cup in 2002.
Ronaldo scored four goals in three group games before adding two more in the knockout round against Belgium and Turkey. He scored both of Brazil's goals in the final, as the South Americans defeated Germany 2-0.
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