Kylian Mbappe breaks two historic France records as Real Madrid star shines in World Cup opener | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with history within touching distance. Ninety minutes later, the Real Madrid superstar had claimed it.

The France captain scored twice in Les Bleus’ 3-1 victory over Senegal, helping his side begin their World Cup campaign on a winning note while smashing two major national records in the process.

Already one of the greatest players to wear the French shirt, Mbappe’s brace made him France’s all-time leading scorer and the country’s highest goalscorer in World Cup history. 

Mbappe overtakes Just Fontaine

Much of the attention before France’s opening fixture centred around Mbappe’s pursuit of a record that had stood for almost seven decades.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward entered the tournament with 12 World Cup goals, leaving him just one behind the legendary Just Fontaine, whose tally of 13 goals had remained untouched since the 1958 World Cup.

It did not take long for Mbappe to change that.

His brace against Senegal lifted him to 14 World Cup goals, making him the most prolific French goalscorer in the history of the competition.

Statistically, four of those 14 goals came during France’s successful 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia, while another eight arrived in Qatar four years later. Two more have already followed in the ongoing tournament.

France’s all-time top scorer

Notably, the World Cup record was not the only milestone achieved on the night.

Mbappe’s two goals also took his international tally to 58 for France, moving him past Olivier Giroud and into outright first place on the nation’s all-time scoring list.

Mbappe is France’s all-time top scorer. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

What makes the achievement even more remarkable is the speed at which it has been accomplished, with the Real Madrid attacker reaching the landmark in only 99 appearances after making his senior debut in 2017.

His journey with Les Bleus has been filled with historic moments. 

He became the youngest French player to score at a World Cup in 2018 and later joined Pele as the only teenager to score in a World Cup final since the Brazilian icon.

Four years later, he produced one of the most memorable individual performances in World Cup final history, scoring a hat-trick against Argentina despite France eventually losing on penalties.

The scary part for France’s rivals is that Mbappe may not be finished breaking records at this tournament.

His 14 World Cup goals leave him only two behind Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup record of 16. With several matches still potentially ahead of France in the competition, that mark suddenly looks vulnerable.