Jalen Brunson believed Erling Haaland would end the 2026 World Cup as the Golden Boot winner despite his teammate Josh Hart disagreeing strongly.
At the end of the group stages, Brunson and Hart shared their predictions for how the rest of the tournament will play out, including who their pick for the Golden Boot is.
Despite Lionel Messi leading at the time, Brunson went with the sensational Haaland, much to his championship-winning Knicks teammate's chagrin.
Brunson strongly sided with Haaland as the Golden Boot winner, backing Norway to make a deep push. Hart seemed vehemently against this pick, going with France's Kylian Mbappe .
Jalen Brunson:"I'll say Erling Haaland, because I think Norway will make a push."
Josh Hart:"Y'all, please don't bet Erling Haaland. It'll probably be Mbappe."
Hart would actually apologize to Brunson on social media for dismissing Haaland as a pick after Norway eliminated Brazil in the Round of 16. He probably could've held on, as Mbappe is currently tied with Messi for most goals with eight, while Haaland is one behind at seven.
Haaland does have an extra match in hand, yet to play his quarter-final clash against England, where he could surpass Mbappe with a brace.
Haaland is the primary attacking threat for Norway and should be expected to score more goals in the tournament if the team's offense can create chances for him.
Photo by Julian Finney – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
With a maximum of three games left to play, Haaland's chances of winning this trophy are heavily dependent on him scoring at least one goal in a win over England in the QFs.
Entry into the semi-finals guarantees that Haaland will play the same number of total games as Mbappe, as a semi-final loss leads to a third-place game.
If Norway lose to England, it likely ends Haaland's Golden Boot hopes, unless he scores a brace in a loss with neither Messi nor Mbappe scoring again in the tournament.
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