Is Kylian Mbappe the World Cup GOAT? France legend aiming for more history in Iraq clash

Kylian Mbappe is closing successful connected 2 centuries.

Firstly, astir 100 cardinal Real Madrid supporters person signed an online petition expressing their tendency to spot the 27-year-old booted retired of the Bernabeu, wherever his 42 goals successful 44 games past play counted for nought successful the eyes of respective members of the achromatic wall.

Secondly - and astir importantly - Mbappe is conscionable 1 quality distant from winning 100 elder caps for France, a landmark helium volition deed successful Monday's World Cup match with Iraq barring an unforeseen fittingness oregon idiosyncratic complication.

Only 9 men earlier him person ever deed the three-figure lucifer people for Les Bleus, and nary subordinate would person brought up their 100th France quality astatine a much juvenile age; the existent youngest Frenchman to triumph a period of caps was a 30-year-old Patrick Vieira successful 2007.

A 100th Bleus outing could correspond a minuscule milestone for Mbappe successful the expansive strategy of the 27-year-old's vocation achievements, which present includes becoming France's all-time starring men's goalscorer, some wide and successful the World Cup alone.

With conscionable different trio of goals successful the planetary competition, Mbappe volition permission Miroslav Klose successful his aftermath and astatine slightest presume 2nd spot successful the all-time World Cup apical scorer charts, if Lionel Messi has moved into the outright golden medal presumption against Austria a fewer hours beforehand.

Predicting which antheral volition beryllium successful archetypal spot travel July 19 is simply a fool's errand, but Mbappe's magnificence begs the question - tin the Frenchman beryllium considered the top World Cup subordinate of each time?

Why Kylian Mbappe is the World Cup GOAT

The Thierry Henry comparisons people emerged erstwhile Mbappe burst onto the home country for Monaco, but erstwhile inactive a teenager, the attacker's astounding planetary achievements mirrored that of an adjacent much influential figure.

At the tender property of 19 propelled France to World Cup glory successful Russia with 5 extremity involvements from 4 matches, 3 of which came successful a one-man amusement against Messi's Argentina successful an enthralling 4-3 last-16 victory.

Unfazed by the glitz and glamour of a World Cup final, Mbappe's crisp onslaught against Croatia made him conscionable the 2nd teen to find the nett successful the showpiece lucifer aft nary different than Pele, who would soon statement the then-youngster his heir apparent.

Further honoured with the Best Young Player award, Mbappe's quests to pb Paris Saint-Germain to Champions League glory would extremity successful repetitive failure, and the attacker soon experienced his archetypal dose of World Cup last heartbreak too.

However, it was not for a deficiency of trying from Paris Saint-Germain's all-time starring scorer, who became conscionable the 2nd antheral to people a World Cup last hat-trick aft Sir Geoff Hurst - acknowledgment successful portion to 1 bonzer volley - en way to a richly-deserved Golden Boot and Silver Ball.

Strikes two, 3 and 4 successful the main lawsuit besides made Mbappe the highest scorer successful World Cup last history, earlier the Real Madrid antheral surpassed Just Fontaine and drew level with Gerd Muller connected 14 Mundial strikes with his brace against Senegal.

Mbappe besides needs conscionable 1 much effort successful the past 32 oregon beyond to interruption the grounds for the astir goals successful a World Cup knockout stage, and arsenic helium surely has astatine slightest 2 much World Cups successful him, expect him to streak wide astatine the apical of the scoring charts betwixt present and 2034.

Why Kylian Mbappe is not the World Cup GOAT

The arguments for Mbappe being the top World Cup subordinate to ever grace the crippled are compelling, but creation the clip of writing, the 27-year-old inactive cannot assertion to beryllium the top goalscorer the contention has ever seen.

Mbappe's World Cup goals-per-game ratio of 0.93 - portion highly awesome - is besides inferior to that of Muller (1.08), Eusebio (1.50), Fontaine (2.17) and Hungary's Sandor Kocsis, who netted 11 successful conscionable 5 appearances successful 1954.

The Real Madrid superstar besides trails the precocious Pele erstwhile it comes to corporate World Cup occurrence - arsenic does Messi - fixed the Brazil icon achieved 3 World Cup triumphs with Brazil portion Mbappe searches for his second.

Furthermore, amid his goalscoring excellence, Mbappe has lone ever acceptable up 3 goals successful the World Cup; conversely, Messi has 8 to his sanction - including an unrivalled six successful the knockout rounds - portion Germany's Fritz Walter is the outright grounds holder with nine.

As spellbinding arsenic Mbappe's 2018 and 2022 performances were too, they arguably bash not stack up to Diego Maradona's single-tournament supremacy successful 1986, erstwhile the Argentina fable registered 5 goals and 5 assists - straight contributing to 71.4% of La Albiceleste's strikes - to transportation his state to glory.

There is ne'er a close oregon incorrect reply successful football's timeless GOAT debates, but if Mbappe's Senegal showing is simply a motion of things to travel successful North America, the lawsuit for the attacker volition go progressively hard to disagree with.