Kylian Mbappe has reignited his battle with Lionel Messi in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot after scoring twice against Sweden. The France captain now has six goals in four matches, drawing level with Messi, who has scored six in three appearances for Argentina. The two superstars are once again setting the standard on football’s biggest stage, renewing a rivalry that captivated fans in the 2022 World Cup final. While Messi guided Argentina to the title that night, Mbappe finished as the tournament’s top scorer. His latest brace also lifted his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals, taking him past Miroslav Klose’s 16 and leaving him just one behind Messi’s 19. With the knockout rounds underway, both players remain firmly in contention for another Golden Boot.
While his latest brace saw him climb the World Cup scoring charts, Mbappe made it clear that France’s pursuit of another title remains his only priority.
“I think the goal, as I said, is to go as far as possible – to make it to (the final on) July 19th and come back here,” Mbappe, who scored his 18 goals in 18 games, told reporters.
“We’re trying to win; we’re taking it one step at a time. Of course, the more goals you score, the higher you climb in the rankings – I’m not telling anyone anything new there.”
Also Read – Kylian Mbappe is no longer chasing greatness; he’s defining it at the World CupMbappe also played down comparisons with Messi, saying he expects the Argentina captain to add to his tally and insisted he is focused only on France’s journey in the tournament.
“But I’m also convinced that Leo is going to score more goals, so I don’t focus too much on that. I’m more focused on the opponents we might face and how close we’re getting to our goal: the final,” he added.
Mbappe sees room for improvement
Looking ahead to France’s Round of 16 clash against Paraguay, Mbappe said the team still has areas to improve despite an impressive start to the tournament.
“I think we’ll keep working between now and the Paraguay match to see what we can improve, because there are still some sequences that aren’t quite clear enough, there’s room for improvement. Still, I think it’s positive overall, and our ability to score goals means we always have the chance to take the lead in matches,” he added.
