This Sunday evening, Spain and Argentina faced off in the 2026 World Cup final. Throughout the tournament, no one managed to match the 10 goals scored by Kylian Mbappé, the 27-year-old French national team forward. He thus finished as the top scorer, with Lionel Messi (39, Argentina) taking second place.
It is an impressive achievement; one cannot overlook this top-scorer status, even though France finished in a rather disappointing fourth place. It remains a major talking point regarding Mbappé, who has finished as the top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup without winning a single team trophy. Yet, one cannot say his goals are in vain. Scoring is, of course, essential to winning a football match.
However, his somewhat individualistic attacking style and his tendency to conserve energy defensively—prioritizing his own physical condition—are factors that impact the team dynamic. There is certainly food for thought there. Nevertheless, Mbappé deserves praise for surpassing other great players. He also claimed the record for the most World Cup goals scored in a career, with a total of 22—moving ahead of Messi, who had briefly held the top spot during the tournament, surpassing Miroslav Klose’s 16-goal record.
