France's Mbappe becomes World Cup's all-time top scorer

Kylian Mbappe has become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, reaching 22 goals after finding the net twice in France’s 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place match, according to a monitored public feed.

The France forward, 27, moved past Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who had been on 21 World Cup goals and was set to feature in Sunday’s final against Spain. Mbappe’s tally now sits at the top of the tournament’s scoring chart, with the France star likely to have more chances to extend it at future editions.

Mbappe finished his third World Cup campaign with 10 goals, ending the tournament two clear of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. His overall World Cup record was built across three editions, with four goals in 2018 and eight more in 2022. Those runs helped France reach the final on both occasions, winning in 2018 and finishing runners-up to Argentina four years later.

The Real Madrid forward acknowledged the milestone, but said the result mattered more to him than the record itself. “Messi is going to score (on Sunday), that’s for sure. I’m just trying to help my team win. When you score a lot of goals at the World Cup, it puts you in a certain category,” he said.

He added that the achievement was not what he would have chosen on the day. “I would have preferred not to be the all-time top scorer and to be playing tomorrow’s match. It’s good in terms of legacy, but today it’s not the first thing on my mind,” Mbappe said.

The scoring landmark came in Miami Gardens, Florida, where France’s final game of the tournament ended in defeat despite Mbappe’s brace. The match capped a high-scoring World Cup campaign for the forward, who now stands alone at the top of one of football’s most closely watched record lists.

This report is based on a monitored public feed and attributed to Dawn Sport. Source: Dawn Sport - https://www.dawn.com/news/2016719/frances-mbappe-becomes-world-cups-all-time-top-scorer