France captain Kylian Mbappé has officially become the highest-scoring player in World Cup history, netting his 22nd career tournament goal during a third-place play-off against England.
The 27-year-old forward scored twice in Les Bleus’ 6-4 defeat on Saturday, pushing his individual tally for the 2026 tournament to 10 goals. His second-half strike moved him past Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who sits on 21 goals ahead of the final against Spain.
Mbappé reached the historic milestone in just 22 tournament appearances across three World Cups, having scored four times during France’s victorious 2018 campaign and eight times at Qatar 2022.
Behind Mbappé’s 22 goals and Messi’s 21 goals sits Germany’s Miroslav Klose with 16 goals. Brazil’s Ronaldo follows with 15, while Germany’s Gerd Müller and England’s Harry Kane are tied at 14 goals each. France’s Just Fontaine remains close behind with 13 goals, and Brazil’s Pelé rounds out the top tier with 12.
–Reuters/ ChannelAfrica–
