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Kylian Mbappé: “I Would Have Preferred to Play the World Cup Final Instead of Being the All-Time Top Scorer”
The French striker shared his thoughts after surpassing Lionel Messi once again for the record of most FIFA World Cup goals during the 2026 tournament’s third-place playoff.
Kylian Mbappé ended his 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with two goals in France's third-place playoff defeat against England, a dramatic 6-4 loss at Miami Stadium.
Although he leaves the tournament with another individual milestone, the biggest disappointment for "Donatello" was not finishing fourth — it was missing the most important match of the competition: the 2026 FIFA World Cup final this Sunday, July 19, at New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Mbappé's Heartbreak After Making World Cup History
Mbappé's brace against England allowed him to reclaim the title of all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history, reaching 22 goals, one ahead of Lionel Messi.
However, the French captain admitted he would gladly exchange that achievement for the chance to play in the final, a possibility denied after France's 2-0 semifinal defeat against Spain at Dallas Stadium.
"I would have preferred not to be the all-time leading scorer and play tomorrow's match (the final). It is good for my legacy, but today it is not the first thing I think about," Mbappé told French television channel M6.
The forward also missed the opportunity to play in three consecutive World Cup finals, a feat that would have been unprecedented.
Mbappé won the 2018 World Cup in Russia against Croatia and then lost the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar to Argentina, despite scoring a historic hat-trick that was not enough to secure back-to-back titles.
Mbappé Believes Messi Can Still Challenge His Records
Despite holding the World Cup scoring record, Mbappé believes both his milestone and the Golden Boot race remain under threat because of Messi's quality.
"Messi always scores. Tomorrow (in the final against Spain) he will score, that's for sure. I try to help my team score goals. It is true that when you have so many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you in certain ways," he said.
Mbappé currently leads the Golden Boot race with 10 goals, while Messi enters the final with eight.
The French star previously won the Golden Boot at Qatar 2022 after scoring eight goals, although he fell short in the final against Messi's Argentina.
Despite being considered by many as one of the greatest players in football history, Messi has never won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot. A triumph in the final against Spain would make him the first Argentine player to claim the award.
