France’s Kylian Mbappe shakes hands with France coach Didier Deschamps at the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 match against England, at Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S., on July 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Kylian Mbappe moved past Lionel Messi for the career World Cup scoring record on Saturday (July 18, 2026), scoring twice for France in the third-place match against England to reach 22 goals.
Mbappe has 10 goals in this World Cup, two more than Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament’s top scorer.
France trailed England 4-0 when Mbappe flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute. Then he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th minute to pass Messi’s career mark of 21 goals.
France pulled within 4-3 on Mbappe’s second goal. Les Bleus missed out on a chance at playing in their third straight World Cup final when they lost to Spain in the semifinals.
Mbappe scored eight goals to win the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, where France lost to Messi and Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final.
Mbappe started Saturday’s (July 18, 2026) match for third place — which, outside of potentially allowing him to win his second Golden Boot award, can provide little more than moral victories. England stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were not in their squad’s starting lineup and did not enter at the start of the second half.
Published – July 19, 2026 06:52 am IST
