Kylian Mbappé said Lionel Messi is the best player in the World Cup on Sunday, a blunt answer from a France forward who is still chasing the scoring record himself. How old is Mbappé? He is 27, and he entered France's Group I game against Iraq with 14 career World Cup goals and a path that still ran two short of Messi's mark.
At Lincoln Financial Field, Mbappé picked Messi when asked to rank the four players in the question. He was direct: "The best of the four players? Lionel Messi," and then added, "It's clear. He’s the best in the world with Cristiano (Ronaldo), it’s clear."
Mbappé at Lincoln Financial Field
The France forward did not hedge. He said Messi has shown "during 15 years that he has an amazing quality," then turned the focus back to his own job: showing his quality on the biggest stage and helping his team win another World Cup. That was the practical frame of his answer — not a debate about style, but a statement about how he sees the race to influence matches.
Mbappé also pushed the discussion beyond a single ranking. "The rest is a debate for the people, a debate for the journalists, a debate for the fans of fútbol, and I think it is good to debate about the players to see who is the best, who performed better," he said. He then narrowed his own priority to France and Iraq, saying, "But for me, it’s not a question in my head. It’s just about how I can help my team tomorrow against Iraq and how I can bring the trophy home in July."
France and Senegal
The quote landed with more weight because Mbappé arrived there in form. Last Tuesday, he scored two goals in France's 3-1 win over Senegal at MetLife Stadium, a result that also made him France's all-time leading scorer and moved him to fourth on the tournament's all-time scoring list. He had entered the World Cup chase with 56 goals in 96 international matches, and those two goals put more pressure on the record he is chasing.
That is the tension inside the quote. Mbappé called Messi the best in the World Cup even though he had 14 career World Cup goals and was still two shy of the record. He was passing 100 international appearances at age 27, so the gap was not just about one tournament; it was about whether he could keep closing in while still deferring the title of best to Messi.
Iraq and Austria
Mbappé's next game was against Iraq in Group I, while Messi and Argentina were set to play Austria on Monday at 1 p.m. ET in Group J play. Later in the week, France and Norway were scheduled to meet in Boston for their third and final group stage match. For Mbappé, the answer he gave in Philadelphia set the tone: the ranking can wait, but the goal chase keeps moving.
