Mbappé Sets World Cup Scoring Record in France’s High-Scoring Loss to England

Kylian Mbappé secured a place in World Cup history during Saturday’s third-place match against England, though the individual milestone provided little solace following a chaotic 6-4 defeat. The France captain scored twice to surpass Lionel Messi and become the all-time top scorer in the tournament’s history with 22 career goals.

The record-breaking goal came in the 66th minute, narrowing England’s lead during a frenetic second half. Mbappé finished the tournament with 10 goals, putting him two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. His performance places him among the elite in single-edition scoring records, trailing only Just Fontaine (13 goals in 1958) and Sandor Kocsis (11 goals in 1954).

Despite the achievement, Mbappé expressed a clear preference for team success over personal glory. In a post-match interview with Fox Corporation, he stated he would have gladly traded the record to appear in the final. Fox Corporation, which broadcast the interview, operates extensively in sports programming and content licensing. The company’s shares were recently trading at $57.62.

France struggled significantly in the first half, trailing 4-0 at the break following goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and a brace from Bukayo Saka. Mbappé helped spark a comeback after the interval, scoring early in the second half and adding another later to bring France within one goal. However, Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, and Jude Bellingham sealed the victory for England in stoppage time, making it the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982.

Reflecting on the disparity between the two halves, Mbappé acknowledged the team’s poor start, admitting that the first-half performance did not honor the jersey. The match capped a tournament defined by individual brilliance for Mbappé, even as the team fell short of the championship game.

What to watch

• FOX Corporation’s quarterly earnings report for detailed segment performance.
• Future broadcast ratings for major international football tournaments.

Source: original release