France captain Kylian Mbappe, now leading the all-time World Cup scoring list, believes Lionel Messi will surpass him in the final against Spain. Mbappe’s two goals in the third-place play-off against England took his tally to 22, surpassing Messi’s 21 goals. Despite this, Mbappe is confident Messi will respond in the upcoming match.
Mbappe and Messi had been chasing Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Messi briefly held the record at 21 goals before Mbappe’s recent feat. Mbappe, with 10 goals in eight matches, now leads the Golden Boot race by two goals over Messi. However, Mbappe expressed that personal achievements offer little solace after missing out on a podium finish.
While France’s loss ended Mbappe’s chance at a second consecutive World Cup final, he anticipates Messi to shine in the upcoming match. If Messi scores against Spain as expected by Mbappe, he will reclaim the title of the tournament’s top scorer, surpassing Mbappe once again.
