Mbappé

Lore & Background

Mbappé made his senior debut for France in 2017. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he became the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final and win the World Cup, being honoured as the World Cup Best Young Player and French Player of the Year. He helped France win the UEFA Nations League in 2021, ranking as top scorer in the finals. At the 2022 World Cup, Mbappé led France to a second consecutive final, in which he scored a hat-trick. He set the record for most goals scored in World Cup finals (4), and won the tournament's Golden Boot and Silver Ball. At the 2026 World Cup, Mbappé won the Golden Boot as his 10 goals made him the third-highest scorer in a single World Cup, tied with Gerd Müller. Mbappé also became the first player to win multiple World Cup Golden Boots.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at Lusail hummed like a living thing. Mbappé stood at the edge of the box, the ball at his feet, the noise of eighty thousand voices reduced to a single ringing tone in his ears. Messi had just buried the crossbar, and the Argentine bench was already dancing. He took three steps, cut inside, and the world went quiet. The ball kissed the net. Then again. Then a third time, his boot connecting with the leather as if the match were a conversation he was determined to finish. The scoreboard read 3-3, extra time, and his legs were burning, but his eyes were fixed on the goal. He had carried France this far. He would carry them to the last kick, even if the last kick belonged to someone else. The penalty taker stepped up. The net trembled. And Mbappé simply stood there, hands on hips, watching a nation's dream dissolve into the night air over Doha.

Reader's Guide

Mbappé began his senior career in 2015 with Monaco, where he won the 2016–17 Ligue 1 title. In 2017, at age 18, he signed for Paris Saint-Germain on an eventual permanent transfer worth €180 million. He won 15 trophies with PSG, including six Ligue 1 titles and four Coupes de France, and helped them reach the Champions League final in 2020. He finished as the league's top goalscorer a record six times, and won Ligue 1 Player of the Year a record five times. In 2024, Mbappé joined Real Madrid on a free transfer. In his debut season, he scored in the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup as Madrid won both titles. He won the European Golden Shoe in 2025. He was the top scorer in La Liga in 2025 and 2026, and in the Champions League in 2026.

Did You Know?

• Mbappé scored two goals against Argentina in the 2018 World Cup Round of 16, not a hat-trick.
• In the 2022 World Cup final, Mbappé scored a hat-trick, with two goals coming in stoppage time of normal time to equalize, then a penalty in extra time.
• Mbappé is the all-time top goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals.