World Cup 2026: Mbappé Backs Himself To Outscore Messi, Ronaldo

France captain Kylian Mbappé has confidently tipped himself to score more goals than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, setting up a fascinating subplot ahead of football’s biggest tournament.

The FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with many of the game’s biggest stars expected to take centre stage.

During a light-hearted interaction with football content creator Finn Agostinelli, popularly known as Fiago Ball on social media, Mbappé was asked to predict which players would score the most goals at the tournament through a series of head-to-head choices.

The Real Madrid forward first selected Spain sensation Lamine Yamal ahead of several high-profile attackers, including Germany’s Florian Wirtz, Netherlands striker Memphis Depay, Egypt captain Mohamed Salah and Norway’s Erling Haaland.

Mbappé then backed his club teammate Vinícius Júnior to outscore both Yamal and England captain Harry Kane.

When the choices narrowed to the final contenders, the 27-year-old picked Argentina captain Lionel Messi ahead of Vinícius, then chose Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo over the reigning world champion.

However, when presented with the final choice between himself and Ronaldo, Mbappé did not hesitate to back his own chances, selecting himself as the player most likely to finish with the higher goal tally.

The prediction underscores the confidence of a player widely regarded as a leading contender for the Golden Boot award.

Mbappé heads into the tournament as France’s main attacking weapon and will be expected to lead Les Bleus’ quest for a second World Cup title in three editions after their triumph in 2018 and runners-up finish in 2022.

Meanwhile, both Messi and Ronaldo are set to make what could be their final appearances on the World Cup stage, adding further intrigue to a tournament already packed with storylines.