MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Kylian Mbappé made history at the World Cup on Saturday. He would have preferred a different outcome.
The France star moved past Argentina's Lionel Messi for the career World Cup scoring record with 22 goals, scoring twice in a 6-4 loss to England in Saturday's third-place match.
Mbappé finished this World Cup with 10 goals, two more than Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament's top scorer. Should he remain ahead of Messi after Argentina plays Spain in Sunday's final, he would become the first player to win the Golden Boot twice.
“I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history,” Mbappé told Fox Sports in French, “and play in the match tomorrow.”
Les Bleus missed out on a chance at playing in their third straight World Cup final when they lost to Spain in the semifinals.
Mbappé scored eight goals to win the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, where France lost to Messi and Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final.
His 10 in this year’s tournament matched the third most in a World Cup. Just Fontaine had a record 13 goals for France in 1958, Sandor Kocsis of Hungary scored 11 in 1954, and West Germany’s Gerd Müller had 10 in 1970.
Mbappé's quest for the Golden Boot appeared to be going nowhere when France trailed 4-0 at halftime.
Then Mbappé and France came alive in the second half. He flicked a shot past England goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute to begin a rally for Les Bleus, who also got goals from Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé. Michael Olise added two assists, setting a record with seven in this World Cup, one more than Brazil's Pelé, who had six assists in 1970.
France pulled within 4-3 on Mbappé's second goal, when he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th minute to pass Messi's career mark of 21 goals.
“There were two very different halves,” Mbappé said. “During the first one, I can understand why some people think we made fools of ourselves and didn’t do the jersey justice. I’d say instead that we were human — and we can’t afford to be. We were completely stunned, and they really shook us awake.”
He said French players wanted to win for Didier Deschamps, who coached his final game with the national team.
“In the end, we didn’t win, and that’s a shame for the coach,” Mbappé said. “The first half gives the impression that we let him down — that’s not at all how we wanted him to feel. This match isn’t going to tarnish Didier Deschamps’ legacy.”
France won the World Cup under Deschamps in 2018, lost a gut-wrenching final to Argentina on penalties in 2022, and was shut down offensively by Spain in the semifinals. It was a disappointing end to Deschamps' 14-year tenure after his star-studded squad was among the favorites to win another World Cup.
Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to be confirmed as Deschamps' successor in the coming days by the French soccer federation.
“It is the end of a journey which represented the most beautiful period,” Deschamps said. “When I started in 2012 ... I put the put the French team first.”
Deschamps embraced players on the pitch before exiting, and he defended Mbappé in his news conference.
“I know he has been given an image that is not true to reality,” the coach said through an interpreter. “He is an incredible captain, and like many of these players, he has evolved. He is disappointed that he did not manage to compete in the final.”
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