Mbappe Becomes France All-Time Highest Goal Scorer Following Two Goals Against Senegal.
Kylian Mbappe etched his name into French football history Tuesday night, firing a second-half brace against Senegal to become France’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer at just 27 years old.
The Real Madrid forward struck in the 66th minute and again deep into stoppage time as Les Bleus opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal at MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey Stadium.
Mbappe’s double took him to 58 international goals in 99 caps, surpassing Olivier Giroud’s record of 57 goals set across 137 http://appearances.Giroud had held the record alone since December 2022.
“I play to leave a mark on my country’s history and to help my team win the World Cup,”* Mbappe told reporters after the match.
For 65 minutes, France looked rattled. Senegal dominated the first half, with Nicolas Jackson hitting the post and Ismaila Sarr missing a near-open net. The Africans pressed with intensity while Didier Deschamps’ side struggled for rhythm despite controlling possession.
The breakthrough came in the 66th minute. Michael Olise threaded a perfect pass into the box where Mbappe, timing his run to perfection, torqued his body and one-timed the ball past Edouard Mendy with his right foot. The goal drew him level with Giroud on 57.
Substitute Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 in the 82nd minute after a brilliant pass from Adrien Rabiot. Senegal refused to fold. 18-year-old PSG starlet Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back in the 94th minute, setting up a nervy finish.
Seconds later, Mbappe ended any doubt. Collecting a loose ball 30 meters from goal, he unleashed a “scorching strike” that flew past Mendy in the 96th minute. Goal number 58. History made.
A Record-Breaking Pace
Mbappe reached 58 goals in just 99 appearances. Giroud needed 137 matches to score 57. The French captain scored his first senior international goal on August 31, 2017, against the Netherlands in his 5th cap.
His rise has been relentless. He became only the third Frenchman to hit 50 goals after Thierry Henry and Giroud in June 2025. He drew level with Henry in September 2025, then passed him four days later.
The brace also moved Mbappe to 14 World Cup goals, level with Germany’s Gerd Muller and two behind Miroslav Klose’s all-time tournament record of 16. He now sits above Lionel Messi and Just Fontaine, who each have 13.
Mbappe made his World Cup debut as a 19-year-old in 2018, scoring four as France lifted the trophy. He added six more in Qatar 2022, including a hat trick in the final against Argentina. At 27, with at least two more group games and potentially a deep run, Klose’s record is firmly in sight.
Mbappe failed to score in France’s warm-ups against Côte d’Ivoire and Northern Ireland, but coach Didier Deschamps wasn’t worried. “He told me he was saving it for the United States, so that works for me,” Deschamps joked Monday.
His prediction proved prophetic. “For 45 minutes, this wasn’t the Mbappé anyone bought tickets for,” wrote FOX Sports. “Then he scored twice and rewrote the record books.”
The win puts France top of Group I after matchday one. They face Iraq on Monday, June 22, while Senegal meet Norway the same day.
For Mbappe, the individual accolades are secondary. “I don’t think we’re fully up and running yet,” he said. “But it’s always good to start a tournament with a win. It gives you a bit more peace of mind, even though you’re never really relaxed at a World Cup.”
At 27, with Real Madrid form behind him — 42 goals in 44 games this season — and now the national team record, Mbappe isn’t just chasing history. He’s defining it. As _Le Monde_ noted: He made it clear early in his career: “Don’t talk to me about age.”
He’s still not done talking. And at this rate, neither will the record books.
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