For fans who haven’t been paying attention the last three years, Kylian Mbappé proved he really is as good as his potential suggested back in 2018. The 23-year-old led France to its second straight appearance in the World Cup Final, scoring a barrage of goals on the way.
Through seven games, Mbappé showed he could score with finesse, grit and when his team needed it most. While he left Qatar without a first-place medal, he gave the world plenty of entertainment on the pitch throughout the month.
Here’s a closer look at Mbappé’s World Cup career so far.
How many goals did Kylian Mbappé score at the 2022 World Cup?
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Mbappé scored eight goals in Qatar to win the Golden Boot, awarded to the leading goal scorer at each World Cup. His eight goals was the most since 2002 when Ronaldo scored eight for Brazil.
Mbappé started things off with three goals in the knockout stage, but the 23-year-old really got cooking in the knockout round. A brace against Poland in the round of 16 brought him neck-and-neck with Lionel Messi and set the stage for a final showdown. Messi -- who scored a pair of goals in the final himself -- ultimately left with the overall win, but Mbappé’s hat trick secured him the Golden Boot.
How many World Cup goals does Kylian Mbappé have in his career?
After his performance in Qatar, Mbappé now has 12 World Cup goals to his name, tied with Pele for the sixth-most on the all-time scoring list. It took both young stars 14 games to reach that benchmark, but half as many tournaments for Mbappé.
With at least two or three more World Cups in his future, it’s fair to assume Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals is well within striking distance for the young forward.
How many career World Cup caps does Kylian Mbappé have?
Mbappé’s got a ways to go to climb the caps leaderboard, but he’s well on his way. With 14 appearances under his belt before his 24th birthday, he only needs 12 more to tie Messi…assuming the 35-year-old does in fact retire after Qatar.
There are 20 other active players ahead of Mbappé on the leaderboard, including French teammates Hugo Lloris and Antoine Griezmann, but many of them are closing out chapters on their career.
What are some of the World Cup records Kylian Mbappé holds?
Mbappé might have come up short on Sunday, but there’s no shortage of benchmarks he hit along the way.
He became only the second player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final, joining Geoff Hurst who did it for England back in 1966.
Back in 2018 at the age of 18, Mbappé joined Pelé as the only teenagers to score in a World Cup Final. Had France won on Sunday, he would’ve become the second-youngest player to win a World Cup. Pelé won back-to-back titles by the age of 21.
Starting to recognize a trend?
The Brazilian legend has essentially laid the groundwork for Mbappé's stellar young career, giving him a slew of records and achievements to chase. Despite being nearly 60 years apart, the two have continued to support each other on social media.
