Kylian Mbappé has taken his World Cup rivalry with Lionel Messi up a notch following the brace against Senegal.
Kylian Mbappe has officially surpassed Lionel Messi on the all-time World Cup goalscoring charts after netting a sensational brace during France’s 3-1 Group I victory over Senegal on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.
Mbappe’s history moment
Breaking a tense deadlock at the New York-New Jersey Stadium, the 27-year-old Real Madrid star struck in the 66th minute before sealing the win with a stunning long-range effort deep into stoppage time (90+6′).
The decisive double elevated his career World Cup tally to 14 goals, moving him past Messi (13) and Just Fontaine (13) to tie Germany’s Gerd Müller for the third-most goals in tournament history. Mbappé now sits tantalisingly close to shattering Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals, a milestone he could effortlessly eclipse in France’s subsequent group matches against Norway and Iraq.
Furthermore, the two goals propelled him to 58 international goals, overtaking Olivier Giroud (57) to become France’s undisputed all-time leading goalscorer.
World Cup goals race intensifies
Despite Mbappé’s leap, the race for World Cup supremacy remains intensely competitive, as Lionel Messi will immediately seek to reclaim his standing.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who famously guided Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, currently sits at 13 tournament goals and will have ample opportunity to respond when La Albiceleste kick off their Group J campaign against Algeria.
Meanwhile, Mbappé’s milestone decided to tie with Didier Deschamps’ side in their opener. After struggling to break down a resilient Senegalese defence in the first half, the captain’s breakthrough, complemented by an 82nd-minute strike from substitute Bradley Barcola, proved entirely decisive, easily absorbing a 95th-minute consolation goal from Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye.