Kylian Mbappé just keeps rewriting the World Cup history books. France’s superstar forward pushed Les Bleus into the semifinals with a win over Morocco in Boston, and in the process he joined Lionel Messi in a club of his own.
The game wasn’t pretty early. France and Morocco played to a 0-0 stalemate at halftime, and Mbappé even missed a penalty before the break. But anyone who has watched this guy knows the miss wasn’t going to stick with him for long.
He curled in a beautiful strike from outside the box in the 60th minute to break the deadlock. Six minutes later he turned provider, setting up Ousmane Dembélé for the second goal. Just another day at the office for the 27-year-old.
That goal was No. 20 for Mbappé in World Cup play. He’s now the second player in tournament history to reach that mark, trailing only Messi who sits at 21. Both players are also tied for the Golden Boot lead with eight goals this summer, so this race is very much alive.
According to Opta, Mbappé is the only player since 1966 to record at least 10 goal involvements in two different World Cups. He did it in 2022 and now again in 2026. He also became the first French player to be involved in 100 goals for the national team — 64 goals and 36 assists.
The conversation about the greatest World Cup player ever has been Messi’s to own for a while. But Mbappé is making a serious case. He’s been the most dominant force in the tournament across back-to-back editions, and he’s only 27.
There is one concern though. Mbappé came off late in the match after picking up a knock. The team hasn’t said much about it yet, but if he’s banged up heading into the semifinal against whoever comes out of the other bracket, that changes things. For now though, he’s still the guy everyone has to stop.
And if history is any guide, stopping him is a lot easier said than done.
Leave a Comment