Mbappe’s World Cup record haul sparks third-place game debate
Kylian Mbappe passed Lionel Messi with 22 career World Cup goals, but CBS Sports’ Roger Gonzalez says the route matters.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Kylian Mbappe has moved to the top of the World Cup scoring charts, and the argument started almost as quickly as the ball hit the net.
The France star scored twice Saturday in a 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place match, according to CBS Sports. Those goals lifted Mbappe to 22 career World Cup goals, one ahead of Lionel Messi’s 21.
CBS Sports’ Roger Gonzalez wrote that the record should be viewed with an asterisk because the goals came in a third-place game, a fixture he argued carries far less weight than the knockout matches that decide who reaches the final.
Mbappe also finished the tournament as its top scorer, CBS Sports reported, with 10 goals. Gonzalez noted that made him the first player since Gerd Muller in 1970 to reach double figures at a single World Cup.
The record came after France’s title chase ended
France had already been knocked out of championship contention before Mbappe’s record-setting day. CBS Sports reported that Les Bleus lost 2-0 to Spain in the semifinals, a match in which Gonzalez wrote that Mbappe had little impact.
Gonzalez’s central point was blunt: most knockout-round losers leave the tournament at once, while semifinal losers get one extra match. That extra game, he argued, gave Mbappe scoring chances unavailable to teams eliminated in earlier rounds.
He contrasted Mbappe’s situation with players whose teams exit in the quarterfinals, naming Erling Haaland as an example of a star who would not receive the same added opportunity.
The third-place match has long been part of the World Cup format, but Gonzalez questioned its sporting value. He wrote that it decides only which semifinal loser finishes third, and suggested that many fans and teams treat it differently from the games that come before it.
A fixture under fire
Gonzalez pointed to lineup choices as part of his critique, saying coaches often rotate heavily and stars may sit out. He referenced Harry Kane, Thomas Tuchel, Dan Burn and Dean Henderson while discussing the different feel of Saturday’s match.
He also compared soccer’s third-place game with Olympic bronze medal events. In his view, Olympic contests carry clearer stakes because athletes are competing for medals that become part of their official Olympic record.
The column noted that Copa America has held third-place games in every edition since 1993, while the UEFA European Championship ended the practice in 1980.
Gonzalez wrote that FIFA is unlikely to drop the game, arguing that money for the organization and host city keeps it on the calendar. FIFA’s position was not included in the CBS Sports column.
The broader tournament has also added other touches Gonzalez described as American-style presentation. CBS Sports reported that Sunday’s final is set to feature the first World Cup halftime show and that the winners are receiving championship rings.
For now, the numbers stand: Mbappe has 22 career World Cup goals, Messi has 21, and the debate over how much a third-place match should count has fresh fuel.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.