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French star Kylian Mbappé has only been piling up his numbers every time he takes the stage at the World Cup. In doing so, he is either on the brink of the precipice or he is already equaling all-time World Cup records.
So, with Mbappé already closing in on some historic records in World Cup history, is he the best player to ever take part in the tournament? Well, FOX Sports’ Peter Crouch believes Mbappé is on track to become the GOAT of the World Cup.
“Mbappé, the numbers are becoming ridiculous. I’m going there [to say he’s] potentially the greatest player in the World Cup,” Crouch said of Mbappé after France’s 2-0 victory over Morocco. “27 years old, [he has the] the most knockout goals, he scored 20 goals, one behind Messi. He could potentially play in three World Cup finals if he reaches the final and scores a hat trick in the final that France did not win. The numbers are piling up. »
Mbappé entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the intention of qualifying for the final for the third time in as many tournament appearances. Although this is Mbappé’s first time captaining France in the World Cup, he has also set records along the way. After scoring in Thursday’s victory, Mbappé now has 20 World Cup goals, the second highest total of all time. He is also the first player to score eight goals in two separate World Cups.
As Mbappé continues to add to his World Cup record, FOX Sports’ Stu Holden also believes the French star is in a league of his own.
“At 19, he was the first teenager to win the World Cup since Pele. He’s different,” Holden added. “He has everything. When I see him playing at this level, he plays a different game from everyone else. I know we all love Messi, but I feel like when Mbappé is done, he could be the greatest of all time.”
In terms of goals, Lionel Messi is the only player Mbappé is chasing in World Cup history. Messi is the all-time leading World Cup scorer with 21. But Messi also has a few other World Cup records to his name, such as the most consecutive World Cup matches with a goal (nine) and the most World Cup assists of all time (nine).
However, Messi has played in twice as many World Cups (six) as Mbappé (three). So, Mbappé certainly has time to catch up to 39-year-old Messi’s records if he hasn’t done so by the end of the 2026 World Cup.
And Thursday was another day where Mbappé’s tenacity was on full display. After a scoreless first half, Mbappé scored one of the goals of the tournament in the second half to give his team a 1-0 lead. Ousmane Dembélé followed suit soon after with his fifth goal this tournament in the 66th minute to send France through to the semi-finals.
Even though it took Mbappé 60 minutes to score against a competitive Moroccan team, FOX Sports’ Kasper Schmeichel knew he wasn’t going to let up until he found the net.
“It’s an absolutely phenomenal record. It wasn’t going to be denied today,” Schmeichel said of Mbappé’s growing list of World Cup goals. “His goal, his skill and his vision were exceptional. He absolutely deserves all the praise he gets, and he absolutely does not deserve all the criticism he gets.”
