"Mbappé" gets emotional, speaks on two matters after scoring twice to lead France into the 2026 World Cup round of 16.
On 1 July 2026, Kylian Mbappé, captain and striker of the French national team, gave an interview after the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match where France defeated Sweden decisively 3-0, with Mbappé scoring two goals in this game, bringing his total to 6 goals, tying with Lionel Messi as the joint top scorer.
Kylian Mbappé continues to close in on the all-time World Cup finals scoring record, currently with 18 goals, just one behind Lionel Messi. He has also become the player with the most goals scored in World Cup knockout matches (10 goals), surpassing legends Leonidas and Ronaldo from Brazil, who had 8 goals each.
When asked about his World Cup goal-scoring record, Kylian Mbappé said, "I know who I am, how I play, and what I have to do, but it's not just about me alone."
"The whole team knows what needs to be done. This is a new competition that just started today. We played well, but we still lacked some courage. We could have done better in the early stages of the game."
Regarding his run to embrace Didier Deschamps after scoring in this match, Mbappé revealed he wanted to encourage the French national team coach, who recently returned to lead the team at the 2026 World Cup after flying to attend his late mother's funeral.
Mbappé said, "He knows he won't face this alone when he's with us, and we will support him."
France will face Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 on 4 July.
