France captain Kylian Mbappe moved within one goal of Lionel Messi’s all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record after netting his 19th career World Cup goal in Les Bleus’ 1-0 Round of 16 victory over Paraguay on Saturday.
The Real Madrid forward calmly converted a 70th-minute penalty after a VAR review ruled that Paraguay’s Diego Gómez had fouled Renato Veiga in the area, sealing France’s place in the quarter-finals.
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Mbappe’s latest strike came in his 19th World Cup appearance, leaving him just one goal behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
The goal also took the 27-year-old’s tally at the 2026 World Cup to seven, drawing level with Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Mbappé won the award at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar despite France’s defeat to Argentina in the final.
