Kylian Mbappé Surpasses Lionel Messi to Become FIFA World Cup’s All-Time Leading Goalscorer
Kylian Mbappé has etched his name into football history after surpassing Lionel Messi to become the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history.
The France captain reached the remarkable milestone during Les Bleus’ dramatic 6-4 defeat to England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff. Mbappé scored twice in the thrilling encounter, taking his overall World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving him ahead of Messi, who had previously set the record with 20 goals during Argentina’s run to the 2026 final.
The achievement further cements Mbappé’s status as one of the greatest players the tournament has ever seen. At just 27 years old, he has already rewritten several World Cup records and still has many years ahead of him to extend his tally.
Mbappé first burst onto the global stage at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, helping France lift the trophy while winning the FIFA Young Player Award. He followed that with an incredible Golden Boot-winning campaign at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he scored eight goals, including a historic hat-trick in the final against Argentina.
The 2026 tournament has been another memorable one for the French superstar. Despite France falling short of reaching the final after losing to Spain in the semi-finals, Mbappé continued his outstanding scoring form and ended the tournament by overtaking Messi as the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
In addition to becoming the World Cup’s all-time top scorer, Mbappé also became the first player to score at least eight goals in back-to-back World Cup tournaments, underlining his consistency on football’s biggest stage.
Although France finished fourth after their defeat to England, Mbappé’s individual brilliance provided another historic chapter in his glittering international career. With multiple World Cups potentially still ahead of him, the Real Madrid forward now has the opportunity to set a record that could stand for generations.
For Mbappé, the milestone is more than just another statistic it is confirmation that he has joined the pantheon of the greatest players ever to grace the FIFA World Cup.