Mbappe usurps Messi again, becomes World Cup all-time record goalscorer
Kylian Mbappe has become the highest goalscorer in World Cup history following his two-goal contribution in France’s 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 27-year-old’s brace in the defeat took his tally to 22 goals across three World Cup appearances, moving him past Lionel Messi’s record of […]
Kylian Mbappe has become the highest goalscorer in World Cup history following his two-goal contribution in France’s 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 27-year-old’s brace in the defeat took his tally to 22 goals across three World Cup appearances, moving him past Lionel Messi’s record of 21 goals.
The French striker also became the first player to score double-digit goals in a single World Cup tournament since Gerd Muller in 1970 after taking his tally to 10 goals in North America.
Mbappe burst onto the world stage as a 19-year-old prodigy at the 2018 World Cup, scoring four goals to help France lift the trophy while winning the Young Player of the Tournament award. He added eight more goals at the 2022 World Cup, including a hat-trick in the final, but could not prevent France from losing to Argentina.
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The Real Madrid forward has now added a further 10 goals at the 2026 tournament and is poised to win the Golden Boot unless Messi scores twice in the final.
Speaking after moving ahead of Messi, Mbappe said he expects the diminutive Argentine legend to score in the final. A reflective Mbappe added that he would gladly trade his goals for another appearance in the World Cup final.
“Leo scores all the time,” Mbappe said. “Tomorrow he will score for sure. I just try to help my team every time by scoring. It’s certain that when you score so many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels, but there you go.
“I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history and play the match tomorrow. So I think it’s good for everything related to legacy and when we stop, people will say that I was one of those players, but today that’s not the first thing on my mind.
“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.”