Kylian Mbappé wrote a new chapter in the history of World Cups by becoming the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. The French striker He reached 22 goals after scoring a double against England in the match for third place in the World Cup 2026a performance that also left him at the front of the race for the Golden Boot.
The Right Madrid attacker came to the match with the possibility of surpass Lionel Messi in different offensive registers and took advantage of the opportunity. With his two goals, he displaced the Argentine from first place in the historical table of World Cup scorers and provisionally led the classification of top scorers in the competition.
Mbappé, 27 years old, reached the 22 conquests in just 22 games played over three editions of the World Cup. The Frenchman had already lifted the trophy with his team in Russia 2018 and now closed his participation in this competition with another historic record.
Mbappé ratings his 9th plan of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to put him on high of The Abundant Golden Boot Inch ??
He’s now stage with Messi in all-time FIFA World Cup desires with 21! pic.twitter.com/M0KRzEIjYq
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 18, 2026
Furthermore, his two goals allowed him to reach ten goals in the tournament and gain a two-point advantage over Messi in the dispute for the Golden Boot. The Argentine captain, however, still has the final against Spain pending.
The striker’s goals came in the second half. The first was converted in the forty-eighth minute through a cross shot, while the second came in the 66th minute, both after assists from Michael Olise.
A closing of the tournament with a special farewell for Didier Deschamps
Hours before the meeting, Mbappé also dedicated a message to Didier Deschampswho directed his last game as French coach after spending fourteen years at the helm of Les Bleus.
The forward recalled the relationship that both built since his debut with the senior team in March 2017, when he was barely 18 years old.
“I feel lucky to have been able to be next to one of the greatest legends of our country and I only have excellent memories of everything we have experienced and achieved together,” Mbappé wrote on his X account.
The attacker regretted that the team could not fire the coach with a better result after the elimination against Spain in the semifinals.
“Today is your last dance. To you, who has given us so much. We should have given you a better ending, but we failed.”
He also highlighted the impact Deschamps had on the resurgence of the national team for more than a decade.
“Expressing in words what you have contributed for 14 years is very difficult, since you have been an essential piece in the rebirth of this team. People have not always known how to appreciate your greatness, but time and history will take care of that…”.
Deschamps took over in 2012, when France was going through a difficult period in international results. Under his direction he conquered the 2018 Russia World Cup and the 2021 Nations Leaguein addition to reaching the finals of the Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In the absence of official confirmation, Zinedine Zidane appears as the significant candidate to succeed him.
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