Mbappe chasing World Cup glory, not Messi

France striker Kylian Mbappe has been in terrific goal-scoring form in the FIFA World Cup 2026, scoring two more in their 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32 to equal Lionel Messi’s tally of six goals in the running edition.

Mbappe also upped his all-time World Cup goal tally to 18, surpassing Germany Miroslav Klose to attain the second spot in the list and is trailing the top-sport holder Messi by just one goal.

The 27-year-old still has a lot of football left in him and is likely to make this record his own.

However, the Real Madrid forward claimed he was not at all focused on overtaking Messi, as he had his sight fixed on winning his second FIFA World Cup trophy.

“The goal is to go as far as possible – to make it to [the final on] ​July 19th and come back here,” Mbappe told the media after the win over Sweden.

“We’re trying to win; we’re taking it one step at a time. Of course, the more goals you score, ​the higher you climb in the rankings - I’m not telling anyone anything new there.

“But ​I’m also convinced that Leo [Messi] is going to score more goals, so I don’t focus too much on ‌that. ⁠I’m more focused on the opponents we might face and how close we’re getting to our goal: the final.”

France will next take on Paraguay in the Round of 16, who pulled off a shock victory over Germany, knocking out the four-time champions on penalties.

France will be the overwhelming favourites heading into the match. But Mbappe said they would leave nothing to chance against the South Americans.

“I think we’ll keep working between now and the Paraguay match to see what we can improve, because there ⁠are ​still some sequences that aren't quite clear enough, there’s ​room for improvement.

“Still, I think it’s positive overall, and our ability to score goals means we always ​have the chance to take the lead in matches.”