Messi leads Mbappe, Haaland before quarters

Erling Haaland has thrust himself back into the Golden Boot race, but as the World Cup reaches the quarter-finals it is Lionel Messi who remains the man to catch, report agencies.
Messi's stunning equaliser in Argentina's dramatic comeback against Egypt took him to a tournament-leading eight goals, leaving him the +120 favourite with BetMGM to finish as the World Cup's top scorer.
Before the Round of 16, Messi and Kylian Mbappé had begun to separate themselves from the chasing pack. Messi remained the frontrunner, with Mbappé close behind at +140 with Fanatics - a price still available at DraftKings heading into the final eight.
For a while, it looked as though Messi's Golden Boot challenge might end alongside Argentina's tournament. He missed a penalty, his side fell 2-0 behind and faced elimination. But the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner sparked an extraordinary turnaround, assisting one goal and scoring the equalizer before Argentina completed a memorable comeback.
Mbappé and Haaland sit one goal behind on seven and both have the chance to draw level - or move ahead - when France face Morocco and Norway take on England in the quarter-finals. Haaland almost single-handedly knocked out Brazil with two stunning goals in Norway's 2-1 win in the final 16.
Haaland, who knows England well from his time at Manchester City, is priced as high as +700 with Bet365 and Fanatics to win the Golden Boot.
England also have a contender in the race. Harry Kane moved onto six goals with his penalty against Mexico and remains firmly in contention. The Bayern Munich striker Kane is available at +800.
It is perhaps fitting that four of the world's most prolific forwards are leading the race at this stage of the tournament.
Messi, Mbappé, Haaland and Kane have combined for 28 goals, underlining both their quality and their importance to their countries' hopes of lifting the trophy.
Just behind the leading quartet, France's Ousmane Dembélé, England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal remain outsiders on four goals apiece, needing a prolific finish to the tournament to force their way into contention. At this point, though, those players are outsiders to win the Golden Boot. All have 40-to-1 or longer odds.
What's the FIFA Golden Boot award and how is it decided?
FIFA's Golden Boot is awarded to the player with the most goals at the end of the tournament.
France's Mbappe is the current holder after scoring eight goals in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup.
If two players are tied on the same number of goals at the end of the tournament, then the player with the most assists will win the award.
If those tiebreakers cannot split two players, then the Golden Boot is handed to the player who achieved their goals and assists in the least number of minutes.
How many Golden Boot awards have current World Cup players won?
Mbappe, Kane and James Rodriguez are all looking to bag the top goal-scorer prize for a second time.
England's Kane won the award in 2018 in Russia, while Colombia's Rodriguez was the top scorer in 2014 in Brazil.
No player has ever won the award more than once.
Entering the quarterfinals, Mbappe gets his chance first to increase his goal tally when France plays Morocco.
Which player has scored the most goals in a single World Cup?