The Frenchman has unrivaled success in the world’s biggest tournament, trailing only Lionel Messi in total World Cup goals.
The last time there was a World Cup semi-final without Kylian Mbappé, he was only 15. The young forward had not yet debuted for AS Monaco when Germany, Brazil, Argentina, and the Netherlands competed in Brazil in 2014 for a spot in the final. France, which exited the tournament a round earlier, had just one World Cup to its name. As it turned out, the wait for a second would not be long.
Just over a year later, Mbappé made his debut for Monaco. At 16, he broke the record of a certain Thierry Henry to become the youngest player in the club’s history. Shortly after, he broke another Henry record, becoming the club’s youngest goalscorer. By the summer of 2017, Mbappé was already a star, earning a colossal €180 million move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
The rest is history. Mbappé spent seven incredibly successful seasons in Paris before making a long-awaited move to Real Madrid. To date, two major trophies have eluded him — the Champions League and Ballon d’Or — but few can deny the tremendous individual success the forward has enjoyed.
At the World Cup, he’s taken it up to a whole other level. The Frenchman already has the second-most goals in the tournament’s history and two appearances in the final. Should France win its next game, the team will reach a third consecutive World Cup Final. In the process, Mbappé would become only the second player to play three consecutive finals after Cafu. At only 27, he already has a case to be the best player in the tournament’s history.
Twenty years after its first win, France lifted the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The defining performance was a win over Argentina in the quarter-finals, where Mbappé took center stage. In the first half, the then-PSG forward went on a remarkable run from deep in his own half, leaving Argentina’s defenders in the dust before being taken down in the box. The penalty was given, Antoine Griezmann scored, and Mbappé scored two second-half goals to give France a 4-3 win.
Four years later, France again made a deep run, with Mbappé scoring eight goals. This time, Argentina was too much despite an Mbappé hat-trick. Had Randal Kolo Muani buried his last-second chance, that would have been back-to-back World Cup trophies for France, but Emiliano Martínez made a fantastic save, and Argentina held on to win on penalties.
Which takes us to this year. Despite a frustrating campaign with Real Madrid, Mbappé has once again been in fine form, with eight goals once again. He has scored in every game but France’s final group stage game vs Norway, where he recorded two assists in a 4-1 win. No player has more goal contributions this summer, and he has unsurprisingly been the difference in France’s knockout wins over Paraguay and Morocco.
France is in its third-straight World Cup semi-final appearance at a bare minimum. Only either Spain or Belgium is standing in the way of a third appearance in the final in three attempts for Mbappé. Compare that record to some of the legends of the game. Pelé, in his entire career, made two appearances in a World Cup Final, although technically he’s won three. Messi has made two. The original Ronaldo made three and won two, but he didn’t play at all in Brazil’s 1994 triumph.
That’s what makes Mbappé unique. Not only has he been part of a tremendously successful France side, but since he stepped on the field, he’s played a key role. From his first World Cup game back in 2018 vs Australia to now, Mbappé has never been an unused substitute. He has played every World Cup game possible. Even legends like Lionel Messi have sat on the bench from time to time at the World Cup, but not Mbappé.
The Frenchman has the second-most goals in the tournament’s history, trailing only Messi. As of writing, Messi has one more in eleven more matches. It wasn’t until 2022, his fifth World Cup, that Messi was finally able to win the whole tournament. By comparison, Mbappé won in his first try, scoring four goals — four times as many as Messi scored in his first two tournaments combined.
Naturally, there is an argument that Mbappé has benefitted from the teams around him. He’s been with some of the best playmakers in the game since he started, including the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, and, more recently, Michael Olise. Compare that to, for instance, the Argentina team that Lionel Messi is working with right now. The difference is immediately apparent.
It’s not just about the goals and assists, though. The fact is, when France has needed someone to come through, Mbappé always has at the World Cup. In 2018, he had his legendary performance vs Argentina, helped France hold on vs Belgium, and scored to clinch the game against Croatia in the final. In 2022, he helped navigate a tricky knockout stage and kept France alive in the final with his hat-trick against Argentina. Those all came against good teams.
And now in North America. Yes, Mbappé missed his penalty kick — which he earned — in the first half against Morocco. Still, in the second half, France needed a boost, and Mbappé provided it with his fantastic goal. Moments later, he assisted Ousmane Dembélé to make it 2-0 and essentially secure France’s win.
No one will argue that Mbappé is the greatest player of all time. He trails Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and others in more than one category. However, at 27, he has already built an unrivaled résumé in the world’s biggest tournament. Should France reach the final again, and potentially even win it, the debate will be well and truly over.
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Image via @equipedefrance (X).
