French captain Kylian Mbappé has made football history by becoming the all-time top goalscorer in World Cup history. The 27-year-old striker scored his 22nd career World Cup goal during a thrilling third-place match against England in Miami.
Despite Mbappé’s historic performance, France lost the bronze-medal match 6-4 to a dominant English team. France struggled early in the game, falling behind 4-0 by halftime. However, Mbappé led a dramatic second-half comeback. He scored his first goal of the match in the 48th minute, matching Argentina’s Lionel Messi with 21 total World Cup goals.
Only six minutes after Mbappé’s goal, France’s Bradley Barcola scored to keep the comeback alive. In the 66th minute, Mbappé struck again, netting his 22nd World Cup goal to claim the all-time record for himself. Ousmane Dembélé also scored for France, but England held on for the victory. England’s Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, while Jude Bellingham scored his seventh goal of the tournament, becoming England's highest scorer in a single World Cup.
With 10 goals in this tournament, Mbappé is currently leading the race for the Golden Boot award, given to the tournament's top scorer. He and Messi have traded the lead throughout the World Cup. Messi, the 39-year-old Argentinian superstar playing in his final World Cup, will have one last chance to overtake Mbappé when Argentina faces Spain in the final on Sunday.