Kylian Mbappe: how the France striker became the best goalscorer in the history of his national team

France has had many great strikers over the years. But none were better in terms of efficiency than Kylian Mbappe, who scored in the opening match of the 2022 World Cup against Senegal. The Real Madrid striker became the top scorer in the history of the French national team, overtaking Olivier Giroud in the scoring charts, scoring his 58th goal for "Les Bleus" at the age of just 27. "Congratulations, Kylian," Giroud told BBC One, commenting on France's match against Senegal. "I'm happy about it. It made sense, it was predictable. He broke all the records in terms of appearances and goals. I think he can easily reach 100 goals and maybe even break Miroslav Klose's World Cup record of 16 goals. He has always scored goals in important games and in big tournaments." Mbappe scored 58 goals in just 99 games for the national team. His goals against Senegal also allowed him to increase his scoring tally at the World Cup to 14 goals. He is only two goals short of Klose's record of 16 goals. "Many of my teammates ask me about him," added Giroud. "For me it's just ambition and self-confidence. He knows where he's going, he's a leader and it was obvious from an early age that he finds himself in every situation very easily. He's mature for his age. He's a great teammate, he has an incredible talent and I think he's a real leader both on the pitch , and beyond." Julien Laurens, a French football expert, believes that Mbappe will become the best footballer in French history. "There is still a lot to achieve in his career, but if we were to stop at this stage, Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini will certainly be the two best footballers in French history. Kylian Mbappe will be in third place, ahead of Thierry Henry, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and others. Even those from earlier generations, like Raymond Kopa. It's not just for his goals, but also for his leadership on the pitch, as he is now the team's captain, for winning the Gold Cup in 2018 and for scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup final in 2022. I predict that at the end of his career it will be number one in the history of French football." Mbappe made his debut for the French national team in March 2017, but only in his fourth appearance for "Les Bleus" did he score his first goal. This took place in a qualifying match for the 2018 World Cup against the Netherlands, which France won 4-0. On the same day, Paris Saint-Germain announced that they would loan the then 18-year-old striker from Monaco to one season, with a buyout option for £165.7 million. Of course, PSG activated this option and thus Mbappe became the most expensive teenager in the history of football. Shortly after signing with PSG, he became a national hero. He led his team to victory in the 2018 World Cup, winning the title the youngest goalscorer in the history of the French national team, as well as the second-ever goalscorer in a World Cup final, having scored in the final in 2018. Finishing the tournament with three goals, he was also named the best young player of the tournament. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he was already the talisman of the French national team. He was the only one to score a goal in the quarter-final match against England, and in the final he scored a hat-trick, but France lost to Argentina in the final match on penalties. The Mbappe family always knew that Kylian was a huge talent and wanted him to reach the very top of football. That's why the family came up with an idea called "Project Mbappe". "Kylian basically only had two things to do: school and football," says Rayan Viyanga, his childhood friend, in the BBC Sport documentary Mbappe. "School, football, home." Kylian was born in the Bondy suburb of Paris in 1998, just five months after France won their first ever Gold Cup. His family home was near the AS Bondy pitches, where his father Wilfried played and later became a coach. "Kylian was already a step ahead compared to the other AS Bondy boys," Viyanga recalls. "He was more advanced for his age and always wanted to play with the best. That was his rule: play with the best." Matt Spiro, author and football expert, adds: "Kylian learned the French national anthem at the age of three - La Marseillaise - just so that he could sing it when he finally made his debut for the national team." Wilfried was very involved in his son's development. At the age of 14, Kylian was accepted into the national football academy of the French Football Federation in Clairefontaine. However, his role model, who was already in the academy, was his adoptive brother Jires Kembo Ekoko. Ekoko played in the Ligue 1 club for Rennes. "Kylian was basically at Clairefontaine for two years, but in the first year he didn't shine at all and wasn't the best player in his age group. He often complained and was in a bad mood while playing on the wing. But when he made a huge growth spurt in his second year, he started to shine and became the best player of his age," recalls Matt Spiro. At the age of just 10, Kylian was noticed by Nike, who started giving him playing shoes for free. No other child his age received such offers. At the age of 14, he left his hometown and moved to Monaco because clubs from all over Europe, including Chelsea and Real Madrid, were interested in signing him. However, his family Mbappe agreed that Kylian should play for French clubs while growing up. At the age of 16 years and 347 days, Kylian made his debut for the Monaco first team, thus becoming the youngest player in the club's history, breaking the record set by Thierry Henry just three months later, in his first competitive match, becoming the most the youngest goalscorer in Monaco's history, also breaking Henry's record. "When Kylian started playing in Monaco's first team, it was clear that his talent was absolutely exceptional. Monaco had many young talented players, but no one was at Kylian's level," says Julien Laurens, a football expert. When Kylian joined Monaco, the club asked all players to design the cover of an imaginary magazine on which they would like to be featured. The vast majority of football players would choose a sports magazine, or possibly a national magazine. Kylian, however, chose Time, with international acclaim, and came up with the title, which was "El Maestro". Four years later, when PSG bought him from Monaco for a record amount, Kylian was featured on the cover of the real Time magazine. How Kylian viewed his career and what his ambitions were was obvious to everyone. The term "Project Mbappe" appeared on social media and meant intensive training of the youngest children in order to bring out their sports talent. It was kind of a joke, but it was very popular. However, in the Mbappe family, everything was serious and each family member had assigned tasks so that Kylian could achieve success. In 2017, Kylian became the most expensive teenager in football history when he joined PSG from Monaco, rejecting an offer from Real Madrid. However, Real Madrid waited for their chance and signed Kylian Mbappe in 2023. In 2023, Kylian will stay ł appointed captain of the French national team. However, he still lacks the trophies to confirm his status at the top of the game, as he is yet to win the Ballon d'Or or the Champions League Cup. However, everything indicates that his trophy haul will be much greater in the future. "Kylian is a very self-centered person, but since becoming captain he has changed his approach a bit and started to be more responsible," added Julien Laurens. "I can't imagine that at the end of his career he won't win the Ballon d'Or or the Champions League Cup. I think his trophy haul will be much better than the trophy haul of Zinedine Zidane or Michel Platini." --- ## Related Articles 1. [Oranje-opponent Zweden in de ban van WK: nachtbrakers vestigen record](https://oranjenet.live/nl/news/oranje-opponent-zweden-in-de-ban-van-wk-nachtbrakers-vestigen-record) 2. [2026 World Cup](https://oranjenet.live/nl/news/lionel-messi-op-weg-naar-het-verbreken-van-het-record-van-miroslav-klose-voor-doelpunten-op-het-wk)