Published On 1/7/2026
Kylian Mbappé is closely following his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Argentine Lionel Messi, as the two players achieve new achievements in the World Cup scoring record. But the Frenchman is more focused on lifting the trophy in New York on July 19, not on the tournament’s top scorer award.
Mbappe (27 years old) scored a brace in France’s 3-0 win over Sweden in the round of 32 on Tuesday, making him one goal away from the record set by Messi in the World Cup with 19 goals, and joining him at the top of the list of scorers in this edition with six goals.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
“I think the goal, as I said, is to get as far as possible – to reach (the final on) July 19 and come back here,” Mbappe, who has scored 18 goals in 18 matches, told reporters.
He added, “We strive to win, and we take one step after another. And of course, the more goals you score, the higher you rise in the standings – and this is not new to anyone.
The French star continued, “But I am also convinced that Leo will score more goals, so I am not focusing too much on that. I am focusing more on the opponents we may face and how close we are to our goal: the final.”
Argentina, led by Messi, is the Cape Verde national team
Argentina, led by Messi, will face the modest Cape Verde team in the round of 32 on Friday. France will then meet Paraguay, hoping to advance to the quarter-finals, where it will face either Canada, one of the tournament organizing countries, or Morocco.
Paraguay took a defensive approach to eliminating four-time champion Germany on penalties in the round of 32 on Monday, and are unlikely to play rashly against France in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Mbappe warned that his team would not consider its victory over Paraguay guaranteed, and they would do their duty to the fullest.
He said, “I think we will continue working between now and the Paraguay match to see what we can improve, because there are some situations that are still not completely clear, and there is room for improvement.”
He added, “However, I think the situation is generally positive, and our ability to score goals means that we always have a chance to advance the score.”
