Kylian Mbappe etched his name into World Cup history by becoming the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer after scoring twice in France’s 6-4 loss to England in Saturday’s third-place playoff.
The 27-year-old France captain took his overall World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving ahead of Argentina legend Lionel Messi, who has 21 and is set to feature in Sunday’s final against Spain. While the final is expected to be Messi’s last World Cup appearance, Mbappe is likely to have another opportunity at the tournament in the future.
Mbappe concluded his third World Cup campaign with 10 goals, putting him at the top of the Golden Boot standings, two clear of Messi.
The Real Madrid striker reached the milestone in just 22 World Cup appearances. He scored four goals during France’s victorious 2018 campaign and added eight more in 2022, when Les Bleus finished runners-up to Argentina.
Despite the historic achievement, Mbappe admitted he would have traded the record for a place in the World Cup final.
“Messi is going to score on Sunday, that’s for sure. I’m just trying to help my team win. Scoring a lot of goals at the World Cup puts you in a certain category,” Mbappe said.
“I would have preferred not to become the all-time top scorer and instead be playing in tomorrow’s match. It’s a great achievement for my legacy, but right now it’s not my main focus.”