Mbappé speaks about Messi amid their competition for the top scorer title at the 2026 World Cup.
"Mbappé" admits he prefers playing in the 2026 World Cup final over winning the top scorer award and believes Messi will definitely score tonight.
Kylian Mbappé, captain and forward of the French national team, acknowledged that if given the choice, he would rather play in the 2026 World Cup final than earn the top scorer award or become the all-time leading World Cup scorer.
At 27 years old, Mbappé scored 2 goals in the third-place match where France lost 4-6 to England, bringing his total to 10 goals in the 2026 World Cup and placing him 2 goals ahead of Argentina's Lionel Messi.
He has also become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals, surpassing Messi who has 21 goals and is scheduled to play the final against Spain on Sunday night at 02:00 GMT+7.
However, Mbappé stated he wants to play in this World Cup final more than to claim any top scorer titles, emphasizing that his goal-scoring efforts are primarily to help his team, and he believes Messi will score tonight.
"Messi will definitely score. I’m just trying to help my team win. Scoring many goals in the World Cup does put you on another level," he said.
"But I want to play in the final more than to be the all-time top scorer. It’s good for reputation, but right now, it’s not my main focus," Mbappé added.