Kylian Mbappe picked the least glamorous stage imaginable to make history. In the third-place match between France and England at Miami Stadium, the French captain scored a brace in the second half to move to the top of the World Cup’s all-time scoring list with 22 goals, passing Lionel Messi in the process.
England dominated the first half, with Bukayo Saka scoring twice by the 45th minute to help push the lead to 4-0 at the break. Mbappe pulled one back just after the restart, converting in the 48th minute to spark France’s comeback and surpass Messi atop the Golden Boot standings.
France kept pushing, with Bradley Barcola making it 4-2 off a Mbappe assist, before Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute to complete the brace and drag his team right back into the match.
With those two goals, Mbappe reached 10 goals for the 2026 World Cup alone, moving clear of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, while also completing one of the most dramatic individual turnarounds of the tournament in a match that started as a rout.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates a goal vs England. (Getty Images)
Mbappe’s brace vs England
Messi still has a chance to reclaim the record
Mbappe went into the match with 20 career World Cup goals, one behind Messi’s all-time record of 21. His brace against England pushes him to 22, putting him one clear at the top of the list, with Miroslav Klose a distant third on 16.
Messi’s tournament isn’t over, though. Argentina still have Sunday’s final against Spain to play, meaning the Argentine captain has one more chance to respond. A single goal in the final would pull him level with Mbappe at 22, while two goals would be enough to reclaim the record outright before the 2026 World Cup comes to a close.
