Kylian Mbappe is hot on the heels of Lionel Messi as both players break new ground in World Cup scoring, but the Frenchman is more obsessed with lifting the trophy in New York on July 19 than becoming the top marksman.
The 27-year-old scored a double as Les Bleus crushed Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32 on Tuesday, brushing aside Messi’s record of 19 World Cup goals and adding him to the top of the scoring charts with six this edition.
“I think the goal, as I said, is to go as far as possible – reach the final on July 19 and come back here,” Mbappe, who scored his 18 goals in 18 games, told reporters.
«We’re trying to win; we’re taking it step by step. The more goals you score, the higher you climb in the rankings. I’m not telling anyone anything new there.»
«But I am also convinced that Leo will score more goals, so I am not focusing too much on that. I am more focused on the opponents we can face and how close we get to our goal: the final.»
Messi’s Argentina will face Cape Verde in the last 32 on Friday. France will then take on Paraguay for a place in the quarter-finals, where they will face fellow hosts Canada or Morocco.
Paraguay took an ultra-defensive approach against Germany to eliminate the four-time world champions in the last 32 on penalties on Monday and are unlikely to produce a brutal display against France in Philadelphia on Saturday.
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Les Bleus will take nothing for granted and do their homework, Mbappe warned.
“I think between now and the match in Paraguay we will continue to work to see what we can improve, because there are still some sequences that are not quite clear enough, there is room for improvement,” he said.
“Still, I think it’s positive overall, and our ability to score goals means we always have the chance to take the lead in games.”
Published on July 1, 2026
