WORLD CUP 2022
Messi vs Mbappé: Who has scored more goals in World Cup games?
Argentina secured the Qatar 2022 World Cup in dramatic fashion as the Albiceleste prevailed on penalty kicks after the game ended 3-3 after extra time with Messi and Mbappé key protagonists.
Argentina vs France. It was being billed as Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappé for a reason (even though that, of course, is far, far, far too simplistic). It was club teammate vs club teammate, national team talisman vs national team talisman, multiple Ballon d’Or winner against Ballon d’Or pretender. To tee things up even more nicely, the pair were locked on five goals at the top of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Golden Boot chart coming into the match.
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How many World Cup goals has Lionel Messi scored?
35-year-old Messi playing in his fifth tournament and has featured in 26 World Cup games; with his Lusail appearance today the striker broke German Lothar Matthäus’ all-time record of appearances. Mbappé, meanwhile was left disappointed but at the age of 23, one suspects the PSG striker will enjoy future opportunities ahead at major tournaments.
In those five tournaments and 26 matches, the Argentinian has found the net 13 times. This World Cup has been by far his most productive in front of goal, with almost half of all his strikes coming in Qatar. The former Barcelona playmaker scored once in 2006, four times in 2014, once in 2018 and failed to find the net in 2010.
Messi’s adventures in 2022 have led to him beating Diego Maradona’s record of World Cup goals and appearances and then taking the all-time Argentina World Cup goalscoring record away from Gabriel Batistuta. The PSG man was instrumental in the Lusail win with his penalty opening the scoring and his extra time goal offering Argentine fans reason believe before Mbappe bagged his second spot kick of the night.
How many goals has Kylian Mbappé scored?
Impressive as that all sounds, Mbappé is on course to blow Messi’s numbers out of the water. The Frenchman netted four times on the way to winning the World Cup in 2018, including twice against Argentina in the round of 16 and once in the final.
Not to be outdone by his club teammate, Mbappé has also broken a long-standing record of his own; he has now scored the most World Cup goals before the age of 24, beating Pelé's record, which dated back to 1962. With plenty of time on his side, it seems to be a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ he breaks Miroslav Klose’s all-time tally of 16 World Cup goals.
Despte picking up a losers medal at the Qatar World Cup, the PSG striker did secure the Golden Boot at the tournament with eight goals and the Frenchman will no doubt be in the hunt in the top scorer ranking at the 2026 World Cup in Mexico/Canada and the US in four years.