Kylian Mbappe – the decisive goal for France in the match with Paraguay
Photo: Getty Images
They will never leave each other again. There is a crazy race between Leo Messi and Kylian Mbappe for the title of top scorer at the World Cup. Already in this issue. The Argentine returned to the top of the rankings with his 7th achievement of the 2026 World Cup on Friday, in the round of 16, which Argentina won against Cape Verde (3-2 points). On Saturday, the French equalized the score with a penalty and brought the Blues a victory over Paraguay in the 1/8 finals (1-0).
But their fight also concerns the ranking of the best scorers in the history of the World Cup. Thanks to the goal against Paraguay, Mbappe now has 19 goals, leaving him just one point behind Messi. The Frenchman is also the top knockout match scorer in World Cup history with 11 goals. As statistician Opta notes, since 2018 its total number is higher than in Brazil (10), England (10), Portugal (9) or Spain (4).
Thus, Mbappe and Messi did not finish their match remotely. The Argentine, who has played one match less than the Frenchman, will face Mo Salah’s Egypt in the round of 16 on Tuesday. On Thursday, July 9, Mbappe will meet Morocco in the quarterfinals.