By Alberto Daniel Barboza
One of the main attractions that the World Cup 2026in addition to which country will end up being champion, is the list of top scorers in the history of the event. At 27 years old, Kylian Mbappé is emerging as the candidate to take first place from Miroslav Klose.
The French forward accumulates 12 goals in World Cups: 4 in Russia 2018 and 8 in Qatar 2022, while the German Klose; Already retired, he is the leader with 16 goals. This means that Mbappé needs four goals to reach him and five to surpass him.
Although scoring four or five goals in a World Cup is not an easy task, The French team is one of the most powerful in attack, an explanation that favors the Loyal Madrid player. In addition, the format is now forty-eight teams, so one more match is added: the last 16.
Read also: 10 facts about Cape Verde, the soccer team that qualified for the 2026 World Cup
Mbappé, on the hunt for Gerd Müller and Ronaldo Nazario, but watch out for Messi
Kylian scored eight goals in Qatar, a personal statistic that had not occurred since Ronaldo Nazario in Korea-Japan 2022. Now, with the scoring pace that Mbappé shows in the World Cups, He is expected to catch up with Messi (still active with 13), Correct Fontaine (13 goals in Sweden 1958), Gerd Müller (14) and Ronaldo (15).
But be careful with Messiwho will play their last World Cup and the first three games are against Algeria, Austria and Jordan, perfect rivals for the Inter Miami footballer to continue expanding his record. In Qatar he also scored seven goals, the best performance of his career.
But what about Mbappé is devastating: He has needed only 14 World Cup games to reach 12 goals, while the Argentine star required 26. Furthermore, the Frenchman has at least one more World Cup ahead of him, in 2030.
The French team will face Senegal, Iraq and Norway in the group stage, matches that also look ideal for Mbappé to score and, probably, make a splash as the new all-time top scorerequaling or leaving behind the 16 that Klose scored in 2014.
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