Mbappe Breaks Messi's World Cup Scoring Record with 22 Goals
French star sets a new World Cup mark with 22 goals
French football star Kylian Mbappe has made World Cup history. During the third-place play-off match on Saturday, Mbappe scored twice against England. Although France lost the match 6-4, Mbappe successfully passed Argentina’s Lionel Messi to set a new career World Cup scoring record with 22 goals.
Mbappe completed this tournament with an impressive 10 goals. This puts him two goals ahead of Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the top scorer of the tournament. If Mbappe remains ahead after the final match between Argentina and Spain, he will become the first player in history to win the Golden Boot award twice.
Expressing his mixed feelings about the milestone, Mbappe told Fox Sports: “I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history, and play in the match tomorrow.”
France's Journey in the Tournament
France missed the chance to play in their third consecutive World Cup final after losing to Spain in the semifinals. In the previous World Cup in Qatar, Mbappe scored eight goals to win the Golden Boot, where France finished as runners-up to Argentina.
His 10 goals in this edition equal the third-highest tally in a single tournament, matching West Germany's Gerd Muller in 1970. The record remains with France's Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in 1958.
An Exciting Second-Half Comeback
During Saturday's match, France faced a difficult start, trailing 4-0 at halftime. However, the team showed great spirit in the second half. Mbappe scored in the 48th minute past goalkeeper Dean Henderson to spark a comeback. France also saw goals from Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele.
Meanwhile, Michael Olise set a new tournament record with seven assists, passing Brazil's legendary Pele who recorded six in 1970. Mbappe scored his historic second goal in the 66th minute with a powerful left-footed strike to bring the score to 4-3 and officially pass Messi's career tally of 21 goals.
Reflecting on the performance, Mbappe said: “There were two very different halves. During the first one, I can understand why some people think we made fools of ourselves and didn’t do the jersey justice. I’d say instead that we were human — and we can’t afford to be. We were completely stunned, and they really shook us awake.”
A Tribute to Didier Deschamps
The match was also the final game for France's long-serving manager, Didier Deschamps. Mbappe expressed his deep respect for the coach, stating: “In the end, we didn’t win, and that’s a shame for the coach. The first half gives the impression that we let him down — that’s not at all how we wanted him to feel. This match isn’t going to tarnish Didier Deschamps’ legacy.”
Deschamps led France to World Cup victory in 2018 and a second-place finish in 2022, marking a highly successful 14-year tenure with the national team. Legendary player Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to be named as the new head coach in the coming days.
Sharing his final thoughts, Deschamps said: “It is the end of a journey which represented the most beautiful period. When I started in 2012 ... I put the put the French team first.”
The departing coach also praised his star forward, saying: “I know he has been given an image that is not true to reality. He is an incredible captain, and like many of these players, he has evolved. He is disappointed that he did not manage to compete in the final.”
This article was previously published on saudimoments. To see the original article, click here
AI contributed to the creation of this article.