Brazilian legend heaps praise on Real Madrid superstar at World Cup – “He surpassed Lionel Messi” | OneFootball

Despite France’s heartbreaking defeat to Spain in the semifinals, Kylian Mbappe has been undoubtedly one of the best performers at the World Cup.

This was evident in his recent exploits in the third-place playoff against England, where he scored a brace to overtake Lionel Messi as the all-time goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup.

Mbappe’s blistering performances have led to widespread praise and the latest to join the bandwagon has been none other than Rivaldo.

Rivaldo hails Mbappe’s milestone

Source: Instagram

Taking to Instagram, the Brazilian Ballon d’Or winner reflected on a goal-laden third-place clash, but reserved his highest praise for Mbappe and the historic milestone he reached.

“Ten goals and England winning 6-4, securing third place for them. But the standout event, for me, was Kylian Mbappe.

He surpassed Lionel Messi in the World Cup all-time scorers’ list, reaching 22 goals in 22 matches. That’s something only a few can achieve,” Rivaldo said.

The Brazilian was equally impressed by Mbappe’s sustained excellence across multiple tournaments.

“And there’s another detail: few players manage to participate in three consecutive World Cups and always reach the final stages, as he did in 2018 and 2022 and now in 2026. This shows the consistency and level he’s maintained for many years,” he added.

Backed to break more records

Mbappe scored twice against England. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Rivaldo went on to suggest that Mbappe is far from finished, predicting the Frenchman could have two more World Cups in him and cement his place atop the record books for good.

“And honestly, I believe he still has two more World Cups ahead of him. If he keeps up this pace, it will be very difficult for anyone to surpass that record,” the 2002 World Cup winner concluded.

The praise caps a stunning individual tournament for Mbappe, who once again underlined his status as one of the finest players on the planet.

For Real Madrid supporters, his form is a hugely encouraging sign ahead of the new campaign.

Having broken France’s all-time scoring record earlier in the competition and now moved past Messi on the World Cup charts, Mbappe returns to the Bernabeu brimming with confidence.