France captain Kylian Mbappe etched his name into FIFA World Cup history on Saturday by becoming the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer after scoring twice in France’s third-place playoff against England.
The 27-year-old forward reached 22 World Cup goals, overtaking Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who has 21 and will have an opportunity to respond when the defending champions face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final.
Mbappe achieved the milestone during France’s dramatic 6-4 defeat to England in the bronze-medal match. His first goal sparked Les Bleus’ fightback after they had fallen 4-0 behind, before he added a second in the second half to reduce the deficit to 4-3 and briefly raise hopes of an unlikely comeback.
Although France ultimately fell short, Mbappe’s brace ensured he left another indelible mark on World Cup history.
The feat adds to an already remarkable tournament for the French skipper, who has now scored 10 goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, putting him in pole position to win the Golden Boot.
He holds a two-goal advantage over Messi, who enters Sunday’s final against Spain still hoping to inspire Argentina to a successful title defence while also attempting to reclaim the all-time World Cup scoring record.
Mbappe’s latest milestone further strengthens his status as one of the greatest players in World Cup history, having consistently delivered on football’s biggest stage since his tournament debut in 2018.
With the World Cup final still to come, all eyes will now turn to Messi, who has one last opportunity at this tournament to add to his tally and challenge Mbappe’s newly established record.
