FIFA World Cup: France goal machine Kylian Mbappe wins Golden Boot

Despite scoring three goals in the final, Kylian Mbappe couldn’t ensure World Cup triumph for France. His eight goals in the competition won him the Golden Boot award.

Kylian Mbappe is sombre as he poses with the Golden Boot award after France’s loss to Argentina on penalties in the final. | Photo Credit: AP

France’s Kylian Mbappe finished as the Golden Boot winner at the Qatar World Cup 2022 with eight goals. However, he did not have the perfect ending as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final match at the Lusail Stadium, preventing the 23-year-old from winning successive World Cups, after he lifted it for the first time in the 2018 edition in Russia.

Mbappe scored his first goal of the World Cup in France’s first group-stage match against Australia. In the 68th minute, Ousmane Dembele floated in a wonderful cross from the right, and Mbappe headed the ball into the net to give France a 3-1 lead.

Mbappe scored a brace in France’s second match against Denmark to take his tally to three goals. Theo Hernandez and Mbappe played a brilliant one-two as the former set up the latter with a cutback from the left. Mbappe slotted the ball past Kasper Schmeichel with a first-time finish.

Denmark equalised through Andreas Christensen after Mbappe’s opener, but the Frenchman found the net again in the 86th minute for the winner. Antoine Griezmann swung in a pinpoint cross from the right, and Mbappe was there at the far-post to bundle the ball over the line.

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Mbappe scored a brace again in France’s round-of-16 match against Poland. Both goals were absolutely top-notch finishes by the Frenchman. His first goal came in the 74th minute — France launched a counter-attack as Olivier Giroud released Dembele. He cut in and fed Mbappe, who was in space. Mbappe took a touch and lashed a right-footed shot past keeper Wojciech Szczesny.

His second of the match and fifth of the tournament came in second-half additional time. Marcus Thuram fed Mbappe with an inside pass. All Mbappe needed was a touch before finessing the ball to the top-right corner again past a helpless Szczesny.

Mbappe saved his best performance for the final against Argentina, where he scored a hat-trick, becoming just the second player to do so in a World Cup final after Geoff Hurst for England against West Germany in 1966.

The goals came in the 80th, 81st and 118th minutes. The first and third goals came from the spot, while his second, an equaliser for France, came from a wonderful volleyed finish from the edge of the box.

Apart from the eight goals, Mbappe had two assists in the campaign. He is also just the fifth man to score in multiple World Cup finals and the second to score in back-to-back finals.