Kylian Mbappe Sets All-Time World Cup Scoring Record with Most Goals and Back-to-Back Golden Boots Despite France Falling Short

July 20, Kathmandu – Before the FIFA World Cup began, defending finalist France was regarded as the strongest contender. The star-studded French team was led by 27-year-old Kylian Mbappe.

France delivered impressive performances from the group stage through the knockout rounds. Though they faced some challenges in the pre-quarterfinals against Paraguay, Mbappe led the team well up to the semifinals.

However, France was eliminated from the title race after a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the all-European semifinal.

Mbappe won the World Cup with France in 2018 at just 19 years old. Four years later, in Qatar, a more mature Mbappe helped lead France to the final and secured the Golden Boot award.

Despite scoring a hat-trick against Argentina in that final, France lost in the penalty shootout, denying Mbappe a consecutive World Cup trophy.

He scored 4 goals in his first World Cup and achieved a personal best of 8 goals in 2022 to clinch the individual award.

In his third World Cup, although captain at age 27, Mbappe was unable to lead France to the final.

Seen as one of the best players after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s era, Mbappe has reached two consecutive World Cup finals and won the title once.

However, in the largest FIFA World Cup jointly hosted by three North American nations, Mbappe fell short of capturing the title.

Back-to-Back Golden Boot Awards

Despite not bringing the title to the team, Mbappe’s individual performance was outstanding. After the third-place match where he scored two goals against England, he set a new goal-scoring record.

He finished as the tournament’s top scorer at the 23rd World Cup, winning the Golden Boot award for the second consecutive time, becoming the first player ever to do so.

This time, he scored double-digit goals: 10 goals and 4 assists in total across 8 games.

Before the third-place match and final, Mbappe trailed Messi in assists. Both had 8 goals, but Messi had 4 assists compared to Mbappe’s 3.

In the third-place match, Mbappe added 2 goals and 1 assist. Messi could not score against Spain in the final.

Mbappe became the first player to win the Golden Boot award twice in a row.

He scored two goals against Senegal in the group stage opener, making a powerful start. He followed that with two goals against Iraq, but failed to score against Norway.

In the Round of 32, Mbappe scored twice against Sweden, netted a decisive penalty against Paraguay in the pre-quarterfinals, scored once against Morocco in the quarterfinal, and although he did not score in the semifinal, he scored two goals in the third-place match.

Despite not scoring against Norway in the group stage, teammate Kylian Dembélé scored a hat-trick leading France to a 4-1 victory. Mbappe was also scoreless in the semifinal against Spain.

All-Time World Cup Top Scorer

Currently playing professional club football for Spanish club Real Madrid, Mbappe is a true goal machine. He has demonstrated this talent also at the club level.

He had scored 12 goals in the previous two World Cups combined and delivered an outstanding performance this time with 10 goals in 8 matches, solidifying his reputation.

Across three World Cups and 22 matches, Mbappe has scored 22 goals, becoming the all-time top scorer, surpassing Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s 21 goals. Messi had reached his tally in 33 matches, while Mbappe achieved it in 11 fewer games.

Before this World Cup, Germany’s Miroslav Klose was the all-time leading scorer with 16 goals. Messi had 13, and Mbappe had 12.

Messi had equaled Klose’s record by scoring a hat-trick against Algeria in the opening match of the tournament and then broke it with two goals against Austria.

In the group stage, Mbappe matched Klose’s record by scoring four goals. After scoring against Sweden, he overtook Klose and chased Messi until the end.

Before the final, Mbappe overtook Messi by scoring two goals against England, surpassing Messi’s record of 21 goals.

Previously, French legend Just Fontaine held the record for most goals in a single World Cup with 13. Mbappe surpassed Fontaine, Klose, Brazilian Ronaldo, and Messi during this tournament.

He also became the youngest player to reach 22 World Cup goals and the fastest, needing the fewest matches to do so.

Milestones with France: 100 Matches and Top Scorer

During this World Cup, Mbappe set new records for the French national team. He became the player with the most World Cup appearances and most goals for France, and also the country’s all-time leading scorer.

Mbappe broke the record of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for most World Cup appearances for France. Mbappe played 22 World Cup matches, surpassing Lloris’s previous record of 20. He also became France’s top World Cup goal scorer.

In the opening match against Senegal, he scored two goals and surpassed Olivier Giroud’s record of 57 goals for France.

In the second match against Iraq, Mbappe played his 100th match for the senior French team, becoming the tenth French player to reach this milestone. After the World Cup, he ranked ninth among those with the most appearances for France, having played 106 matches and scored 66 goals.

French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has played 145 matches so far. Should Mbappe maintain his current pace, he is poised to break Lloris’s record soon.

Mbappe began representing France’s youth teams while playing for AS Monaco in 2014. He played 2 games for the France U-17 team and 11 for the U-19 team.

At age 17, Mbappe scored 5 goals during France’s victorious U-19 European Championship campaign in 2016.

He debuted for the senior national team in 2017 against Luxembourg, becoming the second-youngest player to represent France at the time.

In September 2017, he scored his first international goal against the Netherlands. Over the past decade, Mbappe has established records as captain, World Cup winner, and top scorer, and he is ready for many more accomplishments.

Top Goal Scorers in World Cup History

Kylian Mbappe: 22 goals

Lionel Messi: 21 goals

Miroslav Klose: 16 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo: 15 goals

Gerd Müller: 14 goals

Harry Kane: 14 goals

Just Fontaine: 13 goals

Pelé: 12 goals