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Kylian Mbappe has reached the pinnacle of FIFA World Cup history, but the French captain admits that his time at the top might be short-lived. After overtaking Lionel Messi to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 22 goals, the Real Madrid forward believes his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate will soon respond in Sunday’s final against Spain.

Mbappe predicts Messi will regain scoring supremacy

Mbappe expressed confidence that Messi will find the net for Argentina in the World Cup final against Spain, potentially reclaiming his record as the competition’s greatest-ever goal scorer. The French skipper claimed the top spot for himself on Saturday with a brace against England in a thrilling third-place playoff.

Messi, who currently stands on 21 goals on football’s grandest stage, still has one final opportunity to return to the summit. “Leo, he scores all the time. Tomorrow he will score, for sure,” Mbappe told Fox Sports.

A bittersweet milestone for Mbappe

However, what should have been a triumphant moment in Mbappe’s career came with mixed emotions. The looming possibility of Messi overtaking him again was just one reason for his frustration, as Les Bleus suffered a chaotic 6-4 loss to the Three Lions.

“I just try to help my team every time,” Mbappe said, reflecting on his personal milestone amidst France’s collective disappointment. “It’s certain that when you score so many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels. But I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history and play the match tomorrow [the final].”

The Golden Boot race

Although Mbappe currently holds the all-time scoring lead, the battle for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot is far from over. The French forward leads the current standings with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi. Yet, the 39-year-old Argentina captain still has a chance to reply in the final. Should Messi fail to deliver a decisive performance, Mbappe will become the first player in World Cup history to win the Golden Boot twice. His scoring rate remains extraordinary in modern football, placing him among an elite list of just eight players—including Just Fontaine, Eusebio, and Ronaldo—who have netted eight or more goals in a single tournament.

Rabiot blasts France’s poor showing

France’s mood was further dampened by their defensive collapse against England, which left midfielder Adrien Rabiot visibly furious. The AC Milan star criticised the team’s first-half display, in which they conceded four goals, calling it “unacceptable” and “shameful.” He suggested that some teammates lacked the professionalism required for a bronze-medal clash.

“We started the first half in a pretty shameful manner,” Rabiot told beIN Sports. “I saw behaviour from certain players that I had never seen before. It’s disappointing, because this was the last match to leave a good impression in the tournament. There was a lot of disappointment after the loss to Spain, but there was still a job to finish, and we can’t just slack off like that.”