Mbappé becomes France's all-time leading goalscorer with brace against Senegal

Kylian Mbappé is now France’s all-time leading goalscorer. With a brace scored Tuesday night against Senegal (3-1), the captain of Les Bleus brings his tally to 58 goals in 99 international appearances, surpassing Olivier Giroud’s 57 goals.

The evening had started poorly for the Bondy native, who was quiet and wasteful in the first half. Transformed after the break, he first opened the scoring from a Michael Olise assist, before sealing victory in the final minutes with a long-range strike that will live long in the memory. This 58th goal also brings him closer to Miroslav Klose, the World Cup record holder with 16 goals — Mbappé now has 14.

His teammates made no secret of their admiration. “Being the all-time leading goalscorer for the French national team, which is not far from being the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history… what he’s doing is incredible,” said William Saliba. “And I’m sure he won’t stop there. We know what kind of player he is, how important he is to us.”

Bradley Barcola echoed the sentiment: “It’s really a source of pride to have him with us. I think the entire French people are happy he’s here. Every training session, every match, he always manages to amaze us. It’s magnificent.”

Mbappé himself preferred to emphasize the collective effort and play down the start of the competition. “Always important to start with a win. The road will be long but we are ready,” he wrote after the match. “I don’t think we’re fully up and running yet. But it’s always important to start competitions well, it gives a bit more peace of mind.”