French superstar Kylian Mbappé admitted he needs to work even harder to keep pace with Lionel Messi, as the gap between the two icons narrows to just a single goal in the race to become the all-time World Cup top scorer.
Mbappé netted a brace during Les Bleus’ 3-0 victory over Sweden in the 2026 World Cup knockout stage, bringing his total World Cup goal tally to 18 goals. Meanwhile, Messi currently holds the historic top spot with 19 goals, bolstered by his spectacular 6-goal run in the group stage of this year’s tournament.
The Golden Boot Race
Currently, Mbappé and Messi are tied at the top of the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot standings, with all eyes now on the upcoming clash between Argentina and Cape Verde to see if the Argentine maestro will extend his lead.
When questioned about his fierce rivalry with Messi for both titles, Mbappé responded:
“To be honest, I don’t look at Messi’s numbers or monitor them. Messi always scores, he is still scoring, and he will always score. If I want to match him, I will have to perform at a much higher level than I am right now.”
Looking Ahead to Paraguay
Turning his attention to France’s upcoming Round of 16 fixture against Paraguay, Mbappé warned against complacency: “They have proven that they are a team we must take very seriously—after all, they defeated and eliminated Germany.”
