With 16 goals in World Cups, Mbappé avoids focusing on Messi’s achievements and focuses on the team’s evolution
Kylian Mbappé quickly increased his goal tally following Lionel Messi’s performance in a battle for historic World Cup top scorer. The French striker scored twice in the 3-0 victory against Iraq, reaching 16 goals and equaling Miroslav Klose, who held the record at the start of the tournament.
Shortly before, Messi had surpassed the former German player, reaching 18 goals after finding the net twice in Argentina’s triumph over Austria, in a match played last Monday.
Hours later, the main name of the French team entered the field and also scored two goals. However, the player stated that direct competition with the Argentine athlete is not his main focus at the moment.
“There is no dispute,” said Mbappé. “Leo has always scored, continues to score and will still score many goals. I don’t pay attention to what he does, because if he did, I would have to work even harder to surpass him”, declared the striker.
“I only focus on my team”, he added. “When you score goals, you naturally get closer to an elite group, but I reaffirm: for me, the priority is to follow our collective development.”
Even with the 38-year-old opposing ace leading the score, Mbappé has a notable statistic: his average of one goal per game played in World Cups.
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France’s number 10 participated in 16 clashes throughout the 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions of the World Cup, accumulating a total of 16 goals.
In a comparative analysis, the striker who plays for Real Madrid reached Klose’s mark in just 16 games. In contrast, Lionel Messi needed 27 matches to reach his current tally. Miroslav Klose himself, before being surpassed, had beaten Ronaldo Fenômeno’s record in 23 games.
“I’m not worried about the title of top scorer”, assured the athlete. “The most important thing for me is that we have a solid team structure to trust in our ability. I’ve always scored goals in World Cups, so it’s not something that keeps me up at night”, said Mbappé.
“Above all, I want the team to progress, as we will be intensely tested if we aim to reach the final,” he concluded.
Having reached 100 games for the French national team, Mbappé will play in the third round of the World Cup before Messi. In the two previous matches, both teams entered the field on the same day.
The French team will compete for the lead in Group I against Norway next Friday, at 4pm (Brasília time), in Boston. In turn, Argentina will play against Jordan on Saturday, at 11pm (Brasília time), in Dallas. This schedule provides an opportunity for the French striker to intensify the pressure on his Argentine rival in the scoring charts.
