Kylian Mbappe has overtaken Lionel Messi to become the World Cup's all-time leading goal scorer. The French forward netted twice in the third-place play-off against England, bringing his total to 22 goals and surpassing Messi's 21.
Messi, who had broken Miroslav Klose's previous record of 16 goals during the group stages, now sits on 21 goals. He has one match remaining in his World Cup career, the final against Spain, to equal Mbappe's tally. If Messi matches Mbappe's goal count, he would secure the Golden Boot based on having more assists, which serves as a tie-breaker.
Mbappe has achieved his goal tally in 22 games across three World Cups, giving him a superior goals-to-game ratio compared to Messi, whose 21 goals have come in 33 games over six tournaments. Messi, at 39 years old, faces a formidable challenge against Spain's defense, which has conceded only one goal in seven games throughout the current tournament.
Mbappe, at 27 years old, is likely to extend his record further. Messi, however, could potentially hold the record for another four years depending on his performance in the upcoming final.