Kylian Mbappe has reaffirmed his focus to France’s quest rather than personal glory, amid the ongoing battle for the Golden boot award at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Real Madrid forward has scored four times from three matches and sits second on the standings behind Lionel Messi of Argentina, who has scored five times and leads the charts
Mbappe is also behind his former PSG teammate in the all-time goalscoring charts, with Messi currently on 18, two ahead of both the French star and German legend Miroslav Klose.
Speaking during an interview, the 27-year-old has put all his focus on helping France reach another World Cup final and win the tournament for a second time in three editions.
“It’s not something I’m thinking about at the moment,” Mbappé said.
“I think it’s so important these days to have a team environment where we can find our bearings. It means we can be confident in our strengths when it really counts.
“I’ve always scored goals in the World Cup, so it’s not something I’m thinking about or that I’m worried about.
“But as I said, the priority for us is to play to our strengths as a team, because we know that the further we go in the competition, the tougher the challenges will be. And to win a World Cup, you’re going to have to beat everyone. So it’s going to be very difficult”, the former Monaco forward added.
France concluded group stage action with a 4-1 win over Norway on Friday night, with Mbappe providing two assists for Ousmane Dembele who went on to score a stunning hat-trick.
“I said it yesterday: Léo always scores,” Mbappé continued.
“He’s always scored and he’s scoring. He’ll always score. If I want to look at what Léo’s doing, I’ll have to do even more.
“So no, no, I don’t look at what he’s doing at all. I’m focused on helping my team. I’m sure I’m part of my team. I score goals and when you score goals, of course, you get closer to that sort of level.
“But as I said, we’ve got a long road ahead of us that’s going to be tough, and we’re going to do everything we can to come out on top at the end of this perilous journey”, the all-time French topscorer concluded.
Mbappe and France will now face Sweden in the Round of 32 on June 30, with a possible Round of 16 clash against 2014 champions Germany on the cards.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
