"Messi, just wait." Mbappé explodes with 18 goals in 18 World Cup matches! Aiming for the all-time top scorer title and the top scorer award... France advances to the Round of 16

*This content was translated by AI.

France's "ace" Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) is continuing his incredible scoring pace. He is targeting the all-time World Cup top scorer record and a back-to-back top scorer award.

Under coach Didier Deschamps, France secured a 3-0 victory over Sweden in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Round of 32 match held at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, on the 1st (Korean time). With this win, France advanced to the Round of 16 and continued its challenge toward a third World Cup title in history.

France will face "South America's dark horse" Paraguay in the Round of 16 match at Philadelphia Stadium in Philadelphia, USA, on the 5th. Earlier in the Round of 32, Paraguay caused an upset by defeating "title favorite" Germany in a penalty shootout thriller.

The star of the day was undoubtedly Mbappé. He led France to a decisive victory with multiple goals. In the 45th minute of the first half, Mbappé connected with a powerful shot from a pass by Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain) to score the opening goal.

Even after France extended its lead to 2-0 with an additional goal by Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain) in the 7th minute of the second half, Mbappé's foot did not stop. In the 29th minute of the second half, Mbappé received a spectacular penetrating pass from Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) and curled a shot from the left side of the penalty box, shaking the net. It was a goal that sealed the match.

With this, Mbappé has scored six goals in this North American World Cup alone, continuing his race for the top scorer award. He is currently tied for first place with Lionel Messi, Argentina's ace and "the god of football" (Inter Miami), who has also scored six goals in this tournament.

Mbappé has already won the World Cup top scorer award. He scored eight goals at the previous 2022 Qatar World Cup to claim the Golden Boot. In particular, he even scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. However, France drew 3-3 in extra time and lost in the penalty shootout. Mbappé became the top scorer but could not celebrate at the end. This time, he dreams of a different outcome.

In the North American World Cup, France is showcasing its formidable strength centered around Mbappé. They advanced through Group I, which included Norway, Senegal, and Iraq, with three consecutive wins, and also defeated Sweden in the first tournament match. Sweden, which boasts world-class attackers such as Alexander Isak (Liverpool) and Victor Osimhen (Arsenal), could not match France.

France set another record with its overwhelming victory over Sweden. It became the first team in World Cup history to score three or more goals in five consecutive matches. After scoring three goals in the 2022 Qatar World Cup final against Argentina, France won 3-1 against Senegal in the first group stage match of this North American World Cup. It then defeated Iraq (3-0 win), Norway (4-1 win), and Sweden (3-0 win) in succession.

Mbappé's scoring ability is particularly overwhelming among them. Except for the match against Norway in this tournament, he recorded multiple goals in matches against Senegal, Iraq, and Sweden. If France and Argentina continue to advance on the North American World Cup tournament bracket, the two teams could meet again in the final. This would be a replay of the 2022 Qatar World Cup final. There is also a possibility that the fateful final showdown between Mbappé and Messi will happen once again.

The competition between the two players does not end with the championship and the top scorer award. They are also engaged in a fierce battle over the all-time World Cup top scorer record. Currently, Messi is in first place in this category with 19 career World Cup goals. Mbappé recorded 18 career World Cup goals with his multi-goal performance in the Sweden match, closing in on Messi.

What is even more surprising is Mbappé's tournament scoring ability. Of Mbappé's 18 career World Cup goals, 10 were scored in the tournament stage. This is the all-time record for the most goals scored in the tournament stage of the World Cup. It means he is not just a player who scores many goals, but a player who is stronger in the most crucial moments.

All-time World Cup top scorer, back-to-back top scorer award, and France's third World Cup title in history. Mbappé is aiming for all of these in the North American World Cup. To do so, he must surpass Messi, one of the greatest players in football history.

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*This content was translated by AI.