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French star Kylian Mbappé has done nothing but stack up his numbers every time he takes the stage at the World Cup. As he does so, he is either on the precipice or already matching all-time World Cup records.
So, with Mbappé already closing in on some historic marks in World Cup history, is he the best player to ever play in the tournament? Well, FOX Sports’ Peter Crouch believes that Mbappé is well on his way to becoming the GED of the World Cup.
“Mbappé, the numbers are getting ridiculous. I’m leaving [to say he’s] potentially the greatest World Cup player of all time,” Crouch said of Mbappé after France’s 2-0 win over Morocco. “27 years old, [he has the] most knockout goals he has got 20 goals, one behind Messi. He potentially plays in three World Cup finals if they reach the final, scored a hat-trick in the final which France did not win. The numbers are piling up.”
Mbappé entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup aiming to reach the final for the third time in as many tournament appearances. While this marks Mbappé’s first World Cup captaincy for France, he has also set some records along the way. After scoring in Thursday’s win, Mbappé now has 20 goals at the World Cup, the second most ever. He is also the first player to score eight goals in two separate World Cups.
As Mbappé continues to add to his World Cup resume, FOX Sports’ Stu Holden also believes the French star is entering a category of his own.
“At 19, he was the first teenager to win the World Cup since Pele. He’s different,” added Holden. “He has it all. When I see him play at this level, he plays a different game than others. I know we all love Messi, but I feel that when Mbappé is done, he can be the greatest ever.”
In terms of goals, Lionel Messi is the only player Mbappé is chasing in World Cup history. Messi is the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer with 21. But Messi also has a few other World Cup records to his name, such as. most consecutive World Cup games with a goal (nine) and most World Cup assists ever (nine).
However, Messi has played in twice as many World Cups (six) as Mbappé (three). So Mbappé certainly has time to catch up with the 39-year-old Messi’s records if he hasn’t by the end of the 2026 World Cup.
And Thursday was another day where Mbappé’s tenacity was on full display. After a goalless first half, Mbappé scored one of the goals of the tournament in the second half to give his side a 1-0 lead. Ousmane Dembélé followed suit soon after with his fifth goal of this tournament in the 66th minute to send France through to the semi-finals.
Although it took Mbappé 60 minutes to score against a competitive Moroccan side, FOX Sports’ Kasper Schmeichel knew he wouldn’t let up until he found the net.
“It’s an absolutely phenomenal record. He wouldn’t be denied today,” Schmeichel said of Mbappé’s growing list of World Cup marks. “His goals were exceptional, the skill and the vision. He absolutely deserves all the praise he gets and he absolutely undeserves all the criticism he gets.”
