There is more than one way to etch your name into the history books at the World Cup. Of course, guiding your nation to glory is the most obvious one, but there exists a separate, fiercely contested path to legendary status, one that rewards outright individual genius in a team game.
While the World Cup trophy is the ultimate team obsession, the Golden Boot is proof of a forward's lethal instinct on the global stage, even if his team fail to claim the top prize.
It is an individual crown that transforms mere strikers into legendary figures, placing them in an exclusive pantheon alongside the likes of Ronaldo, Eusebio, Gerd Muller, Gary Lineker and Miroslav Klose.
This year, across the stadiums of North America, a fresh crop of elite goalscorers is ready to write their own chapters in that storied history.
The 2022 Golden Boot winner, Kylian Mbappe, heads into this tournament looking to retain his title and guide France to a third consecutive final - and perhaps a second global success in that time. However, he faces intense competition from reigning world champion Lionel Messi, eager to make it two World Cup wins in a row, and England hero Harry Kane, who already has one Golden Boot to his name.
The competition does not stop there, though. With Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Norway and Sweden boasting some of the world's elite attackers in their ranks, the likes of Mbappe, Messi and Kane could find themselves overshadowed in North America.
Here, GOAL keeps track of the top scoring stars in Canada, Mexico and USA as the battle for the Golden Boot heats up.
