Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against England in the third-place match and surpassed Lionel Messi as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer. Kylian Mbappe picked the least glamorous stage imaginable to make history. In the third-place match between France and England at Miami Stadium, the French captain scored a brace in the second half to move to the top of the World Cup’s all-time scoring list with 22 goals, passing Lionel Messi in the process.
England dominated the first half, with Bukayo Saka scoring twice by the 45th minute to help push the lead to 4-0 at the break. Mbappe pulled one back just after the restart, converting in the 48th minute to spark France’s comeback and surpass Messi atop the Golden Boot standings.
France kept pushing, with Bradley Barcola making it 4-2 off a Mbappe assist, before Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute to complete his brace and drag France right back into the match.
With those two goals, Mbappe reached 10 goals for the 2026 World Cup alone, moving clear of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, while also completing one of the most dramatic individual turnarounds of the tournament in a match that started as a rout.
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