Mbappe surpasses Messi to become the greatest goal scorer in World Cup history

However, he still has to wait for Lionel Messi's final appearance in the Sunday final between Spain and Argentina to see if this record will be maintained.

In the match against England early this morning (July 19), Mbappe once again etched his name into World Cup history. Tied for the lead in the 2026 World Cup top scorer list before the game against England, the France and Real Madrid striker added two more goals, bringing his total in this year's tournament to 10.

More importantly, Mbappe has raised his career World Cup goal tally to 22, surpassing Lionel Messi (21 goals) to become the all-time leading scorer in the competition's history. Nevertheless, Messi still has a chance to reclaim the record when he leads Argentina against Spain in the World Cup final, set to take place early on July 20 (Vietnam time).

The recent match was far from easy for France; in fact, it was quite the opposite. The first half of the third-place playoff turned into a nightmare as Les Bleus found themselves trailing 4-0 against England after the opening 45 minutes, in a performance widely regarded as disappointing.

Coach Didier Deschamps did not hide his anger and made as many as four substitutions right after the break. This decision immediately made a difference as France entered the second half with a completely different spirit.

Mbappe scored a brace in the 48th and 66th minutes, while Bradley Barcola, who replaced Désiré Doué, added another goal in the 54th minute. Although Dembele scored in the 90+6th minute, ultimately, the French team still lost 4-6 in the third-place match against England.