Mbappe Overtakes Giroud as France's All-Time Top Scorer
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- Kylian Mbappe became France's all-time leading scorer with 58 goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud's previous record of 57, in a 3-1 World Cup win over Senegal on 16 June 2026.
- Mbappe equalled the record with a first-time finish from Michael Olise's defence-splitting pass, then broke it with a long-range strike in stoppage time — less than two minutes after Senegal had cut the deficit to one goal.
- Bradley Barcola scored France's second with a delicate finish, and Senegal substitute Ibrahim Mbaye — billed as 'the next Mbappe' — pulled one back for Les Lions de la Teranga.
- Mbappe was controversially denied a penalty after a challenge by Sadio Mane, with referee Alireza Faghani standing by his on-field decision despite being sent to the VAR monitor.
- France opened their Group I campaign in front of 80,545 fans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with the BBC's parallel coverage already framing the match as the culmination of 'Project Mbappe' and the dawn of his heir.
Why it matters: Mbappe has now surpassed Giroud's longstanding mark to become France's definitive all-time scorer on 58 goals, and he did so with a stoppage-time stunner on the World Cup stage. Senegal's introduction of substitute Ibrahim Mbaye — already labelled 'the next Mbappe' and who scored in this very match — shows the succession narrative is already in play before the tournament has barely begun.
