Kuala lumpur: Lionel Messi's two assists in Argentina's semi-final win over England have put the captain back on top in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament's top scorer, reported German Press Agency (dpa). Messi and France captain Kylian Mbapp© are level on eight goals, but Messi leads the Golden Boot race on the tiebreaker with four assists to Mbapp©'s three, going into the final two matches.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Messi will play against Spain in Sunday's final, while Mbapp© also has one match remaining - the third-place play-off against England on Saturday. Assists are the first tiebreaker when players are level on goals. If they remain tied, the player who has played fewer minutes at the tournament is ranked higher.

In that regard, Mbapp© has the edge, having played 666 minutes compared with Messi's 712, as Argentina needed extra time twice. Mbapp© won the Golden Boot in 2022 with eight goals, ahead of Messi, who scored seven.

Messi has never won the tournament's top scorer award but now holds the all-time World Cup scoring record with 21 goals, one more than Mbapp©.