"Goal king? Messi will score anyway tomorrow?" Mbappé, bittersweet after '10 goals': "I wish I had played in the final..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Kylian Mbappé (28), a forward for the French national football team, expressed more regret over not reaching the World Cup final than joy at achieving a major milestone.

On the 19th (Korean time), France lost 4-6 to England in a high-scoring thriller at Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, USA, in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup third-place playoff match. The two teams exchanged 10 goals in total. As a result, France finished the tournament in fourth place.

Although France lost, Mbappé wrote new history. Scoring two goals and providing one assist on this day, he surpassed Lionel Messi (Argentina, 8 goals) with his 9th and 10th tournament goals to take sole possession of the top scorer position. This marks the first time since Gerd Müller (Germany, 10 goals) at the 1970 Mexico World Cup that a player has scored double-digit goals in a single World Cup — 56 years later. Additionally, with his 22nd career World Cup goal, he reclaimed the top spot on the all-time scoring list, overtaking Messi (21 goals).

France trailed 0-4 at halftime, but Mbappé sparked a dramatic comeback in the second half. In the 3rd minute of the second half, he received a penetrating pass from Michael Olise and calmly shot from inside the box to find the back of the net.

Six minutes later, Mbappé set up France's second goal. In the 9th minute of the second half, he delivered a forward pass to Bradley Barcola, who was making a run into the space behind the defense. Barcola immediately shot and finished the play.

Then, in the 21st minute of the second half, Mbappé scored his second goal of the match. After exchanging passes with Olise and Lee Dae-il, he struck a powerful shot from the center of the box aimed at the corner, shaking the net. The score moved from 0-4 to 3-4, igniting the game, but France ultimately conceded two more goals and lost 4-6.

In a post-match interview, Mbappé downplayed the significance of his personal records. He said calmly, "Messi will score in tomorrow's final. That's certain." He added, "I'm just trying to help my team win. Scoring many goals in the World Cup helps you grow in specific areas."

He further emphasized, "Rather than being the all-time top scorer, I want to play in the final. It's a beautiful record personally, but it's not what I should be thinking about right now."

Regarding the match where France conceded four goals in the first half alone, he remarked, "The first half was truly unbelievable. We regained our composure and form in the second half, but we couldn't secure a victory."

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*This content was translated by AI.