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Mbappe is back on track to defend his Golden Boot title that he and Messi have traded between themselves all tournament.
Published On 18 Jul 2026
France’s Kylian Mbappe scored his 22nd goal at the World Cup to break the all-time scoring record and cement his legacy as the best striker in the world as he played his final match of the tournament against England.
England will walk away from the World Cup with a third-place finish after beating France 6-4 in a thrilling bronze-medal match in Miami on Saturday.
The 2018 champions had their worst start to the World Cup with a 4-0 scoreline at halftime as they meekly battled a much-changed English side.
Mbappe, France’s 27-year-old captain, led the charge and netted in the 48th minute to revive his side and stand level with Lionel Messi for most goals at a World Cup (21) and most at the tournament so far (9).
An inspired France then saw Bradley Barcola strike six minutes later before Mbappe returned to the attack and netted in the 66th minute to become the all-time goal-scorer in the world with 22 and the highest at the tournament with 10.
Mbappe is back on track to defend his Golden Boot title, which he and Messi have traded between themselves throughout the tournament.
The 39-year-old Argentinian, likely playing his last World Cup, will have one last chance to snatch the award from Mbappe when his side take on Spain in the final on Sunday.
Elsewhere in the game, Ousmane Dembele scored his sixth World Cup goal and France’s fourth and final against England, who saw a standout performance from Bukayo Saka in his hat-trick.
Jude Bellingham became England’s all-time scorer in this tournament when he netted his seventh goal and the sixth for the Three Lions to land them a podium finish at the World Cup.
