Mbappe Breaks Messi’s World Cup Scoring Record Despite France Defeat
Kylian Mbappe became the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer on Saturday, but the historic achievement came in heartbreaking circumstances as France fell 6-4 to England in the third-place playoff.
The Real Madrid star scored twice in the entertaining contest at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, taking his overall World Cup tally to 22 goals and moving ahead of Lionel Messi at the top of the competition’s all-time scoring chart.
France endured a nightmare first half, conceding four unanswered goals before Mbappe sparked hopes of an unlikely comeback shortly after the restart with a clinical first-time finish.
Bradley Barcola added another goal to reduce the deficit before Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute, but England held firm as Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick and a late goal from Jude Bellingham sealed an exciting victory for the Three Lions.
The defeat also marked the end of Didier Deschamps’ reign as France head coach.
Despite reaching another historic milestone, Mbappe admitted he would gladly exchange the record for a place in the World Cup final.
“Leo scores all the time. Tomorrow he will score for sure,” Mbappe said after the match.
“I would have preferred not to be the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history and instead be able to play in the World Cup final tomorrow.”
Messi, who will lead Argentina against Spain in Sunday’s final, has the opportunity to reclaim the scoring record if he finds the net during what could be his final World Cup appearance.
The Argentine legend has enjoyed another outstanding tournament, scoring crucial goals throughout Argentina’s run to the final after opening the competition with a hat-trick and continuing his impressive form in the knockout stages.
Mbappe’s brace also strengthened his position in the race for the Golden Boot. The French captain now tops the scoring charts with 10 goals, while Messi heads into the final with eight.
The 27-year-old first announced himself on the world stage during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he helped France lift the trophy and won the tournament’s Best Young Player award.
He also produced one of the greatest individual performances in World Cup final history by scoring a hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 final, although France ultimately lost on penalties.
While surpassing Messi to become the World Cup’s most prolific goalscorer is another remarkable achievement, Mbappe insisted that competing for football’s biggest prize would have meant far more than any personal record.
