The Golden Boot usually means an award for the top scorer in a football/soccer competition. In the FIFA World Cup, it goes to the player who scores the most goals, with tiebreakers like assists and minutes played if needed.

What it can mean

  • In general football use, it is a scoring award for the season’s or tournament’s leading goalscorer.
  • In Europe, the European Golden Shoe is the award for the top league scorer across European leagues, using a points system that weights goals by league strength.
  • In the World Cup, it specifically means the tournament’s leading goalscorer.

Simple example

If two players finish with the same number of goals, the one with more assists can be ranked higher for the World Cup Golden Boot; if still tied, fewer minutes played can decide it.

TL;DR: the Golden Boot is a top-scorer award, most commonly in football/soccer, and its exact rules depend on the competition.