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Kylian Mbappe made World Cup history Saturday, but the achievement provided him with little consolation. The France captain netted twice in a chaotic 6-4 third-place defeat to England, surpassing Lionel Messi to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 22 career goals.
Following Mbappe being spotted laughing amid France's first-half meltdown, the record-breaking goal arrived in the 66th minute. He defeated England goalkeeper Dean Henderson with a left-footed shot from approximately 14 yards, propelling him beyond Messi's previous record of 21.
It crowned a remarkable individual tournament for Mbappe, who concluded with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi in the Golden Boot race, an honor he could claim for a second time if he maintains his lead over Messi after Sunday's final between Argentina and Spain. It comes after Donald Trump told Messi straight to his face what son Barron thinks about him.
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Only Just Fontaine's 13 goals in 1958 and Sandor Kocsis's 11 in 1954 surpass Mbappe's tournament tally among single-edition performances, reports the Mirror US.
Nevertheless, he made it evident afterward he would have willingly exchanged the record for a different tournament result. "I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history," Mbappe told FOX Sports in French, "and play in the match tomorrow."
France was down 4-0 at halftime following a commanding opening period from England, fueled by goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and two from Bukayo Saka.
Mbappe ignited a remarkable second-half comeback, netting three minutes after the restart to reduce the gap, before Bradley Barcola and a second Mbappe strike brought France to within one at 4-3.
However, Saka completed his hat trick from the penalty spot to extend the lead to 5-3, and although Ousmane Dembele clawed France back to within one goal deep into added time, Jude Bellingham wrapped up England's victory moments later, concluding the highest-scoring World Cup fixture since 1982.
Discussing the dramatic shift between halves, Mbappe was candid about France's sluggish opening.
"There were two very different halves," he said. "During the first one, I can understand why some people think we made fools of ourselves and didn't do the jersey justice.
"I'd say instead that we were human - and we can't afford to be. We were completely stunned, and they really shook us awake."
The fixture also represented the final match of Didier Deschamps' 14-year spell as France manager, and Mbappe voiced disappointment that the squad couldn't give its long-serving boss a winning send-off.
"In the end, we didn't win, and that's a shame for the coach," Mbappe said. "The first half gives the impression that we let him down - that's not at all how we wanted him to feel. This match isn't going to tarnish Didier Deschamps' legacy."
Deschamps came to his captain's defense after the game.
"I know he has been given an image that is not true to reality," Deschamps said through an interpreter. "He is an incredible captain, and like many of these players, he has evolved. He is disappointed that he did not manage to compete in the final."
Elsewhere, a Spain player has said 'I don't want to go to prison' before Trump meeting.
