Kylian Mbappé has joined the ranks of the game’s all-time greats by winning the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot, which he won with a hat trick against Argentina in the final.
Argentina defeated France on penalties after a tense 3-3 draw that lasted 120 minutes.
Mbappé’s performance, however, was legendary, as he saved France from a certain defeat in regulation by scoring goals in the 80th and 81st minutes.
After Lionel Messi scored in extra time, Mbappé responded with a dramatic 118th-minute penalty to force a penalty shootout. Mbappé scored his eighth goal of the tournament, surpassing Golden Boot runner-up Messi’s seven.
Mbappé became only the second man in World Cup history to score a hat trick, joining England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966.
He also became the highest men’s World Cup final goalscorer of all time, with four goals after scoring in the 2018 final against Croatia.
Though he fell short of securing France’s second consecutive title, Mbappé has an impressive World Cup resume after only two tournaments, both of which he reached the final.
Mbappé’s eight knockout-stage goals are already a record. He has 12 career World Cup goals, four fewer than Miroslav Klose, who currently holds the record for the most men’s World Cup goals with 16. It took four tournaments for Germany’s striker to reach that level.
