Kylian Mbappé’s seventh goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 brought him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race while moving the France captain closer to another historic World Cup milestone.
France captain Kylian Mbappé has reignited one of the FIFA World Cup 2026’s biggest storylines after drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the prestigious Golden Boot. Mbappé converted a calm penalty in the 70th minute of France’s victory over Paraguay, taking his tournament tally to seven goals and matching Messi at the top of the scoring charts.
Although both stars now share the lead with seven goals, Messi reached the milestone in just four matches, while Mbappé required five appearances. The French forward’s latest strike also marked his 19th career FIFA World Cup goal, leaving him only one behind Messi’s remarkable tally of 20 goals in World Cup competition.
The race for the Golden Boot remains fiercely contested. Erling Haaland of Norway and Harry Kane of England are close behind with five goals each, while France winger Ousmane Dembélé has contributed four goals to his team’s campaign.
Mbappé also added another milestone to his growing legacy by becoming only the second player to score in two different FIFA World Cup editions, joining Messi, who achieved the feat a day earlier. Their parallel accomplishments have further fueled one of football’s greatest modern rivalries.
After claiming the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with eight goals, Mbappé is now in a strong position to defend his title. A successful finish to the tournament could see him become one of the select few players to win the award in consecutive World Cups.
Speaking after the win, Mbappé praised France’s resilience against a physical Paraguay side.
“We knew it would be a difficult match. If we have to get our hands dirty, we can do that. We can play ugly football too. People thought we’d arrive in tuxedos, but we came to compete. They played their style, we played ours, and we deserved to win.”
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