Kylian Mbappe insists the World Cup Golden Boot race is not over and predicts Lionel Messi will score for Argentina against Spain in Sunday's final. In a thrilling bronze medal match on Saturday, Mbappe scored twice but England secured a 6-4 victory over France in Didier Deschamps' final game in charge.
Mbappe Leads Golden Boot Race
Mbappe now leads the Golden Boot standings with 10 goals at this year's World Cup, two clear of Messi. The Real Madrid striker has also scored 22 World Cup goals in his career, more than any other player in history and one more than Messi. However, Mbappe believes Messi will at least tie his overall record in the final.
“Leo will score, that's for sure, he scores every time,” Mbappe told French broadcaster M6. “I try to help my team score. It's true that when you score so many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you in certain areas, but I would have preferred not to be the all-time top scorer and to play in the match [the World Cup final]. It's good for my legacy to be remembered as one of those players, but that's not what's on my mind right now.”
France's Collapse Against England
France got off to a woeful start in their third-place match against England as Thomas Tuchel's side were four goals up by half time. Deschamps' side then scored three without reply after the break to threaten a comeback before Bukayo Saka scored a penalty to complete his hat-trick. Ousmane Dembele then struck in injury time to give France another glimmer of hope, but that was extinguished with a brilliant solo goal from Jude Bellingham.
“I think there were two distinct periods,” Mbappe said. “For the first, I can understand that some people think it was a joke and that we didn't respect the jersey. I would say rather that we were human, and unfortunately, we can't afford to be human. We were completely stunned, and I think they really woke us up. And in the second half, we became top-level players again, mental machines that have no more feelings, so we managed to win that second half.”
Tribute to Deschamps
Mbappe paid tribute to outgoing coach Didier Deschamps, saying: “We didn't win, and that's a shame for the coach. We wanted to do something for him, and the first half gave the impression that we let him down, even if that wasn't the feeling we intended. But we want to thank him for everything he's done. This match won't tarnish Didier Deschamps' legend.”
Golden Boot Standings
- Kylian Mbappe: 10 goals, 4 assists
- Lionel Messi: 8 goals, 4 assists
- Jude Bellingham: 7 goals, 1 assist
- Erling Haaland: 7 goals, 0 assists
- Ousmane Dembele: 6 goals, 2 assists
- Harry Kane: 6 goals, 1 assist
- Mikel Oyarzabal: 5 goals, 1 assist
