As the race for the Golden Boot is heating up at the FIFA World Cup 2026, the last edition’s winner Kylian Mbappe said he is not thinking about it and is not worried about the honours.
Mbappe scored twice in France’s 3-0 win over Iraq in a Group I match in Philadelphia on Monday (June 22). The forward took his tally to four goals in two matches in the ongoing tournament.
Also read: Golden Boot latest standings
In 2022, Mbappe won the Golden Boot with eight goals including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. However, France failed to win the trophy against Lionel Messi’s South American side.
Also on Monday, Messi scored two goals against Austria to maintain lead in the Golden Boot standings. He has five goals in two games. Mbappe is tied at second with Erling Haaland of Norway.
What Mbappe said
Talking to reporters after the match against Iraq, Mbappe said he is not thinking about the Golden Boot and focused on the team. “It’s not something I’m thinking about at the moment. I think it’s so important these days to have a team environment where we can find our bearings. It means we can be confident in our strengths when it really counts,” he said.
Also read: Full list of Messi’s 18 World Cup goals
“I’ve always scored goals in the World Cup, so it’s not something I’m thinking about or that I’m worried about. But as I said, the priority for us is to play to our strengths as a team, because we know that the further we go in the competition, the tougher the challenges will be. And to win a World Cup, you’re going to have to beat everyone. So it’s going to be very difficult,” he added.
Mbappe on Messi
On Messi also scoring two goals on Monday, Mbappe remarked, “I said it yesterday: Leo always scores. He’s always scored and he’s scoring. He’ll always score. If I want to look at what Léo’s doing, I’ll have to do even more.”
He added that he is not thinking about what Messi is doing and wants to help France win. “So no, no, I don’t look at what he’s doing at all. I’m focused on helping my team. I’m sure I’m part of my team. I score goals and when you score goals, of course, you get closer to that sort of level. But as I said, we’ve got a long road ahead of us that’s going to be tough, and we’re going to do everything we can to come out on top at the end of this perilous journey.”
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