Mbappé passes Ronaldo and becomes top scorer in World Cup knockouts

Kylian Mbappé made history this Tuesday (30), by scoring a decisive goal against Sweden, in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup. With the goal, the French striker isolated himself as the greatest scorer in knockout games in the history of the tournament. He left behind Brazilian idols like Ronaldo and Leônidas da Silva.

Mbappé reached the impressive mark of nine goals in just nine decisive World Cup matches. Ronaldo had found the net eight times in ten games between 1998 and 2006. Leônidas, on the other hand, scored the same number of goals in just five games, in the 1934 and 1938 editions.

Kylian's career in the knockout stages began in the 2018 World Cup, when he scored three goals, one of them in the grand final that guaranteed France the title against Croatia. In 2022, there were five more in the knockout stages, including a historic hat-trick in the final against Argentina. Despite their performance, the French were runners-up.

In pursuit of more records
With this Tuesday's goal against Sweden, Mbappé not only broke the record for knockouts, but also isolated himself as the second highest scorer in the history of the World Cup. He now has 17 goals in his total appearances. The Frenchman continues to chase Lionel Messi, who leads the list with 19 goals scored so far.

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Source: CNN