Kylian Mbappé’s Pursuit of the World Cup Top Scorer Record: How Many Goals Does He Need to Surpass Miroslav Klose?

Kylian Mbappé is nearing the milestone of becoming the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer. SPOX examines the current standings.

German football history was made on July 8, 2014, in a remarkable fashion. It wasn’t solely due to the triumphant 7-1 victory of the German national team in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Brazil.

In that very historic match, Miroslav Klose achieved the status of the World Cup’s top scorer. His 23rd-minute goal, making it 2-0, was his 16th tournament goal, placing him as the sole leader. He surpassed the legendary Brazilian striker, Ronaldo.

How does the top of this leaderboard look over a decade later? Is the record in jeopardy? SPOX clarifies.

Indeed, Klose’s record is under threat. It’s possible that by the end of the 2026 World Cup, a different footballing icon could hold the top spot – Kylian Mbappé.

The Real Madrid superstar has already secured seventh place with just two World Cup appearances. He reached the final with France in both tournaments, winning once in 2018 and losing in 2022. Mbappé scored four goals in Russia in 2018 and an impressive eight goals in Qatar in 2022. His hat-trick in the lost final against Argentina was extraordinary, a feat previously only achieved by England’s Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup final.

Prior to the North American tournament, the captain of Les Bleus trailed Klose by four goals. He managed to reduce that deficit to two with a brace against Senegal in the opening match, propelling him to third place! With the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 nations, an additional round of 16 will be included, further increasing Mbappé’s chances of scoring around five more goals in the tournament.

If not this year, then certainly by 2030, potentially in Spain, his new professional home, the record could be his. Mbappé is currently 27 years old and will turn 28 in December. This means he can participate in at least one more World Cup after 2026, provided he avoids injury or is not omitted from the squad.

World Cup Top Scorers: Kylian Mbappé’s Path to Miroslav Klose’s Record — The Ranking of World Cup Top Goal Scorers

Interestingly, Mbappé has an active competitor in Lionel Messi for the top spot in the World Cup top scorer list. His former Paris Saint-Germain teammate has scored 13 goals.

However, for the Argentinian, this is almost certainly his final World Cup, as he will celebrate his 39th birthday on June 24th.

World Cup Top Scorers: The Top 10

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