Messi aside! Why Kylian Mbappé is on the course of rewriting World Cup history
By Luke Oluoch, July 1, 2026The 2026 World Cup has already earned acclaim as the tournament where big-name strikers arrived firing, showcasing a rare and unique display of goal-scoring prowess and attacking acumen never before seen on the global stage.
With Lionel Messi setting the tone with a dazzling hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 opening victory over Algeria, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappé seem to have taken the cue, all kicking off their respective campaigns with braces.
Yet, even with Messi’s incredible records, the French captain could well be the man to entirely rewrite the history books of the global football showpiece if his goal-scoring streak continues across North America.
Unprecedented World Cup record
The French star is firmly on course for an unprecedented World Cup record after drawing level with Messi on goals scored in the current tournament with six, despite being a whole decade younger and having played in far fewer total World Cup matches than the Argentine.
Mbappé has now scored his 18th career World Cup goal, becoming the second all-time top scorer in the history of the tournament by overtaking Miroslav Klose. He now sits just a single goal behind Lionel Messi’s all-time total of 19.
Pundits have been left mesmerised by his historic World Cup run, openly wondering just how many goals he might end up plundering if this blistering form extends into future editions of the tournament.
Former Liverpool and Premier League midfielder Don Hutchison noted that the Real Madrid ace is on fire for his country.
“There is something different about watching him. He is playing with far more enjoyment for France than he does for Real Madrid. Sometimes in Madrid his attitude looks off, and he seems a bit frustrated, but for France he looks happy, and he is unstoppable when he is in that mood.
“You look at him and realise he is a phenomenal player—and he will still be around for another decade,” Hutchison said, reflecting on Mbappé’s record-breaking exploits, he said to ESPN
Deschamps and Zlatan praise
His coach, Didier Deschamps, has also praised Mbappé as a consummate team player who always puts the collective group first, asserting that the public image often portrayed of the forward is nowhere near who the Real Madrid star truly is in person.
Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimović is the latest high-profile figure to extol the free-scoring attacker. During his TV punditry role, the legendary ex-Sweden striker was left mulling over just what it would take to stop Mbappé and this rampant French team.
Best of his generation
“He (Mbappe) is the best striker of his generation. His movement and positioning are world-class. And he is playing alongside Olise and Dembélé, who make everything so easy for him,” Ibrahimović said during the Sweden broadcast. “I can’t see any team stopping Deschamps’ France. Maybe Argentina or Brazil, just maybe.”
The tournament has also served as a historic playground for other elite marksmen, with Erling Haaland making his own waves on the scoring front.
The Manchester City striker scored the crucial winning goal for Norway as they successfully progressed to the World Cup Round of 16 with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.
The strike marked the 13th consecutive competitive match where the clinical striker has found the net for Norway, scoring a staggering 25 goals across this historic run. He has now reached 60 international goals, achieving the monumental feat faster than anyone else in football history by doing so in just 53 games.
By comparison, the in-form Kylian Mbappé sits on 62 international goals, but the ruthless Norwegian reached the 60-goal milestone in 48 fewer matches, a testament to his predatory instincts and lethal finishing efficiency.