France captain Kylian Mbappe believes Lionel Messi will soon take back the FIFA World Cup‘s all-time scoring record. Mbappe moved to the top of the list after scoring twice in France’s 6-4 loss to England in the third-place play-off on Saturday. His two goals took his World Cup tally to 22 from 22 matches, one more than Messi’s 21. But with Argentina facing Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final, Mbappe is confident the Argentine legend will respond.“Leo, he scores all the time. Tomorrow he will score, for sure,” Mbappe told Fox Sports after the match. Both Messi and Mbappe started the 2026 World Cup chasing former Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals. Messi broke that mark during Argentina’s run to the final and reached 21 goals, only for Mbappe to overtake him with his brace against England.The French forward has been in outstanding form throughout the tournament, scoring 10 goals in eight matches. Added to the 12 goals he scored across the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, his career total now stands at 22. He also leads the race for the Golden Boot, sitting two goals ahead of Messi before the final.
Team success mattered more than records
Despite reaching another personal milestone, Mbappe said the achievement meant little after France failed to finish in the top three.“I just try to help my team every time. 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,” he said.With France’s campaign over, Mbappe will now watch Monday’s final closely. If Messi scores against Spain, as Mbappe expects, the Argentina captain will once again become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.
