France forward Kylian Mbappe etched his name into World Cup history on Saturday by becoming the tournament’s all-time leading scorer after striking twice in France’s 6-4 loss to England in the third-place playoff.
The 27-year-old raised his World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who has scored 21 and is set to feature in Sunday’s final against Spain. While that match is expected to be Messi’s final World Cup appearance, Mbappe is widely expected to compete in future editions.
Mbappe also ended his third World Cup campaign at the top of the Golden Boot race with 10 goals, maintaining a two-goal advantage over Messi heading into the final.
The Real Madrid star reached the milestone in just 22 World Cup matches. He scored four goals during France’s victorious 2018 campaign and added eight in 2022, when Les Bleus finished runners-up to Argentina. His latest two-goal performance completed his record-breaking tally.
Reflecting on the achievement, Mbappe acknowledged that personal milestones were secondary to team success.
“Messi is going to score tomorrow, that’s for sure. I’m just trying to help my team win. Scoring many goals at the World Cup puts you in a special category,” he said.
He added that he would have gladly traded the record for a place in the World Cup final.
“I would rather not be the all-time leading scorer if it meant we were playing in tomorrow’s match. It’s a great achievement for my legacy, but that’s not what matters most to me today.”
