Kylian Mbappe revealed his true feelings about the 2026 World Cup as he gets closer to breaking Lionel Messi's record.
Mbappe once again dominated the field and led France to a 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday, June 30, sending the national team into the last 16.
The 27-year-old scored twice, the first goal of the match in the 45th minute and final strike 74th minute of the match, while Bradley Barcola doubled France lead in 53rd minute.
Kylian Mbappe chasing Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, who recently set the world record of the all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cup history, might lose his dominance in the same tournament after Mbappe's double strike against Sweden.
The French footballer scored his career’s 17th and 18th FIFA World Cup goals on Tuesday and is now just one step away from matching eight-time Ballon d’Or award winner Messi’s 19 goals.
The Argentina’s legendary soccer player surpassed Germany's Miroslav Klose during last group match against Jordan on June 27.
During the same match, the 39-year-old also became the first player in soccer history to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches.
Mbappe wants to enjoy 2026 World Cup ‘the fullest’
Following the victory over Sweden, the reigning FIFA Gold Boot winner revealed that he is enjoying the 2026 World Cup more than previous tournament and is planning to enjoy the fullest this time.
Mbappé said, “I did say that I wanted to enjoy this World Cup to the fullest. I'm not saying that the other World Cup[s] I did not enjoy, but I was younger. I was focused then in delivering the best performances. And today, I believe I can do both: delivering great performances and obviously enjoying (it)."
"Well, I'm happy, but it's not the most important (thing) today. We continued delivering great performances. This game was important. It is a new competition starting (in the knockout phase), as we said earlier on. Now we have to focus on Paraguay. We have another game to win," he added.
France next match
France will now face Paraguay, who stunned Germany in a 4-3 win on penalties, for a place in the quarter-finals.
The round of 16 clash between France and Paraguay on Saturday, July 4, 2026. The match is scheduled to kick off at 5:00 pm ET at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
France boss Didier Deschamps said, “Team France has excellent players and when they have this state of mind and type of concentration it bodes very well. The teams we face are going to get better, so we need to fine tune some things.”
Golden Boot race
The FIFA 2026 Golden Boot race has gotten more exciting and tough after Mbappe two goals has bought his tally to six goals, leveling with Messi, who was so far leading the top scorer chart.
However, Mbappe has an edge over the eight-time Ballon d’Or award winner, as he has also assisted two goals that gave him the lead over Messi in the Golden Boot race, ESPN reported.
Norway’s Erling Haaland is right behind Mbappe and Messi with 6 goals and is set to face Brazil in the knockout round on Sunday, July 5, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
France’s Ousmane Dembélé and Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior are sharing the third spot with four goals.
