Mbappe inches closer to France’s top scorer record

After netting in France’s 2-1 win over Brazil in an international friendly, Kylian Mbappe moves to within one goal of the country’s all-time top goalscoring record.

Mbappe finished confidently with a cheeky chip over Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson to give his side the lead in the opening half of the match.

Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike scored France’s second before Bremer netted for Brazil with the game ending 2-1 to Les Bleus.

The forward scored his 56th goal in just his 95th appearance for France, leaving him just behind Olivier Giroud, who has 57 goals in 137 caps and remains the all-time top scorer for the two-time World Cup winners.

Mbappe will have the chance to equal, if not surpass, Giroud’s record when France face Colombia at the Northwest Stadium in Washington D.C on Sunday 29 April.

The French national team join three other nations who are competing in the United States during this international break as they continue preparing for the 2026 World Cup.

France, Brazil, Colombia and Croatia will play four friendlies, with two in Orlando, Florida and one each in the Washington, D.C. area and Boston area.

The matches will be the final chance for all four teams to gather ahead of this year's World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer.

Mbappe’s World Cup legacy

The 27-year-old will head into the 2026 World Cup with a remarkable legacy already behind him. He burst onto the global stage as a teenager in 2018, helping France win the tournament and becoming the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since the legendary Pelé.

Four years later in Qatar, Mbappe once again led the French side to the World Cup final, producing a sensational hat-trick in the showpiece match, only to fall short against Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Despite the heartbreak, his record for France is extraordinary. Already a goal-scoring phenomenon, he boasts the best goals-per-game ratio in French history, outdoing legends like Thierry Henry, Michel Platini, and Zinedine Zidane, while still chasing the nation’s all-time scoring record.

As captain, Mbappe will hope to add to his World Cup achievements this summer, aiming to lift another trophy for France and cement his place as one of the greatest ever players in French football.