Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé keep trading blows in World Cup goals race | OneFootball

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé are trading blows in the chase for the World Cup goals record. Messi’s hat-trick swiftly answered Mbappé’s brace, a response likely to sharpen the France captain’s pursuit of titles. Cristiano Ronaldo, stuck on eight across five editions plus one match in a sixth, none in the knockouts, is a bystander for now.

L'Équipe highlights a duel now shaping this World Cup. Earlier on Tuesday, Mbappé scored twice in a 3-1 win over Senegal, reaching 14 and closing on Miroslav Klose’s 16.

Later the same day, Messi struck three in a 3-0 victory against Algeria to draw level with Klose on 16. Blow for blow, perhaps to the finish.

If both nations top their groups and keep advancing, they would not meet until the final on 19 July. That would hand Mbappé a shot at payback for Doha 2022, when Argentina beat France after a 3-3 draw and a 4-2 shootout. They were PSG team-mates from 2021 to 2023.

Respect will frame, not soften, the rivalry. Mbappé would seemingly trade the all-time mark for a second personal star, and at 27 he is only at his third finals, while Messi, 38, has entered his sixth, like Ronaldo. With 14 in 15 World Cup games, he will still have time in 2030 or 2034 to close any gap, and after the Senegal win in Boston he urged team-mates to stay grounded.

Source: L'Équipe