Khaberni - French star Kylian Mbappé matched the historical record held by Argentine Lionel Messi for the top scorer in World Cup history, but he confirmed that he is not concerned with chasing him, instead focusing only on helping his national team.
French star Kylian Mbappé celebrated his 100th international match in the French team's shirt in the best possible way, scoring two goals and leading "Les Bleus" to a three-nil victory over Iraq in the second round of the 2026 World Cup group stages.
Mbappé's brace ensured France's qualification to the round of 32 and increased his tally to four goals in the current edition of the tournament, continuing his chase of Argentine Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
The Real Madrid striker continues to affirm his status as one of the top stars of the World Cup, maintaining his exceptional scoring rate in the World Cup finals, bringing his historical total to 16 goals in the tournament, matching the record held by German legend Miroslav Klose, and taking second place in the competition's all-time top scorers list behind Messi with 18 goals.
Mbappé said in statements relayed by Argentine media: "Messi was always scoring goals and will continue to do so. If I were constantly watching what Messi does, I would need to put in more effort. I don’t keep that in mind, and only think about how to help the French team."
The statements of the French captain came after an exceptional day in the 2026 World Cup, where Messi increased his tally to 18 goals in the history of the tournament by scoring a brace against the Austrian team, taking the lead as the historical top scorer of the World Cup.
Thus, the French star continues his pursuit of Messi in the race for the World Cup’s historical top scorers, while affirming that his primary goal remains to lead "Les Bleus" in competing for the global title.
