Mbappé won the World Cup with the national team at 18, then reached the final of the next edition in 2022, where he became the top scorer with eight goals.
Mbappé could become the most successful player in French history
In his first World Cup appearance in 2018 with France, Mbappé led the Blues to the title and came close to winning it for a second consecutive time in 2022, but fell short in the final against Argentina. At 26, he already has 12 goals in the World Cup, one less than Just Fontaine, the French top scorer of all time, and four less than the German Miroslav Klose, top scorer in the history of the competition. With the France team, Mbappé has scored 52 goals and is now six goals away from surpassing Olivier Giroud's historic record (57).
Mbappé will “never” reach Zidane’s stature
Despite his many successes for France, former Blues striker Djibril Cissé bluntly told Mbappé that he would never achieve Zidane's popularity with French fans. In an interview with Poker Strategy, Cissé said: “I don’t think Kylian Mbappé will ever be considered as high as Zinedine Zidane by the French. It will be difficult for him to reach this level. Mbappé is undeniably loved by the public and is an exceptional player, but Zidane was universally loved by the French people. I don't think we'll ever see a player reach that level like Zidane did and still is. »
“There is no doubt that Mbappé can become the most successful French footballer of all time – he is doing exceptional things at Real Madrid, and the team will win many trophies in the years to come, but whether he can achieve the legendary status of Zidane is another question. »
Last month, Mbappé revealed he would love to see French legend Zidane take the reins of the French team after the 2026 World Cup, when Didier Deschamps' contract expires. In an interview with L'Équipe, the Madrid star said: “With him, there’s no need to complicate things. It's Zidane. Nobody will say no. Only he can do it. If it's him, okay! And if it's someone else, okay too. But it is the only one in the history of French football to have almost all the rights.
