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Kylian Mbappé is fully convinced that Lionel Messi will find the net for Argentina against Spain in Sunday's World Cup final, reclaiming his status as the tournament's all-time leading scorer.
France's skipper seized that extraordinary record for himself on Saturday with a brace against England in a wild third-place playoff. Those two goals pushed his career total to an astonishing 22 across three World Cup tournaments. Messi sits at 21 on football's biggest stage but has one final match remaining to claw his way back to the summit.
"Leo, he scores all the time," Mbappé said with a sigh when pressed by Fox Sports on whether his record would survive 24 hours. "Tomorrow he will score, for sure."
Yet for Mbappé, what should have been a cherished moment of history left a distinctly sour taste.
All Time World Cup Top Scorers
Rank | Player | Nation | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Kylian Mbappé | France | 22 |
2. | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 21 |
3. | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 |
4. | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 |
T-5. | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 |
T-5. | Harry Kane | England | 14 |
7. | Just Fontaine | France | 13 |
8. | Pelé | Brazil | 12 |
* Correct as of July 18, 2026.
Mbappe Takes Sad Stance on His World Cup History
The looming prospect of Messi overtaking him at the top of the all-time scoring charts was just one element dampening Mbappé's spirits. France had just been beaten 6–4 by England in a match he never wanted to be part of to begin with.
"I just try to help my team every time," he said with a shrug. "It's certain that when you score so many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels. But I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history and play the match tomorrow [the final].
"I think it's good for everything related to legacy and, when we stop, saying that I was one of those players. But today, that's not the first thing on my mind."
France Star Tears Apart Teammates for 'Shameful' World Cup Defeat
"Disappointing," "unacceptable," "shameful." Adrien Rabiot had no shortage of harsh words to describe France's first-half collapse against England in a chaotic third-place playoff.
"We started the first half in a pretty shameful manner," the AC Milan midfielder fumed to beIN Sports when reflecting on going 4–0 down. "I witnessed behavior from certain players that I had never seen before. It's a bit disappointing, because this was the last match to make a good impression in the tournament.
"There was a lot of disappointment after the loss to Spain, but there was still a job to finish, and we can't just slack off like that. We talked at halftime and said we needed to show some pride; things were much better in the second half, because the behavior in the first half was unacceptable."
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Didier Deschamps shouldered responsibility for the dismal opening 45 minutes after rotating seven players from the starting XI that fell 2–0 to Spain in the semifinal. "I should have made different choices right from the start of the match—you could say that—and perhaps things would have gone better," the outgoing France manager conceded. "Everyone is judged on their performance. Obviously, some players could have done better."
Deschamps admitted he was "a bit angry" at the break. "I could have changed eight players." Ultimately, he made four substitutions and watched his side respond with four goals of their own. Unfortunately, England added two more to claim the bronze medal.