World Cup rivalry takes back seat as Mbappe bows to Messi

The fierce World Cup rivalry between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe has once again been overshadowed by mutual respect, with the France captain openly admitting that the Argentine superstar remains the best footballer in the world.

Ahead of his 100th appearance for France, Mbappe praised Messi despite being one of his closest challengers in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot, placing the Argentine icon alongside Cristiano Ronaldo among football’s all-time greats.

“Messi is the best player in the world. Just like Cristiano Ronaldo,” Mbappe said before France’s match against Iraq.

Messi has made a spectacular start to the tournament, scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening game against Algeria and matching Miroslav Klose’s record as one of the leading scorers in World Cup history. His brilliant display helped Argentina seal a convincing 3-0 victory.

Mbappe said Messi’s continued excellence was expected, given the Argentine captain’s extraordinary consistency over the years.

“I knew Messi would keep scoring. He always does. He is ahead of me, and I am behind him. I want to continue scoring and help my national team as far as possible,” he said.

The French forward added that Messi has maintained a remarkable level of performance for more than 16 years and that his own ambition is to make the most of his opportunities on football’s biggest stage.

Mbappe, who already has 14 World Cup goals, moved into third place on the tournament’s all-time scoring chart after netting twice against Senegal in France’s opening match.

However, the Real Madrid forward insisted that personal milestones are secondary to team success.

“Goals can help you go far and break records, but my biggest target is to win the World Cup. I want to lift the trophy,” he said.

Reflecting on reaching the 100-match milestone for France, Mbappe called it a special achievement, particularly at a World Cup.

“Playing 100 matches is historic. Nothing is bigger than representing the national team. The match will be special for me, but we also need a win to secure our place in the knockout stage,” he added.

TZ