Football fans around the world witnessed history on a number of different levels this weekend.
Argentina narrowly escaped Qatar as the 2022 World Cup Champions after beating France in penalties in the final on Sunday.
Messi scored twice for Argentina while Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappé joined Geoff Hurst (1966) as the only two players in history to record a hat-trick in the World Cup Final.
Mbappé led all scorers in the tournament with eight goals while Messi finished with seven goals in his final World Cup appearance. The performance was good enough to land both players on the list of the top World Cup scorers of all-time.
Messi will also end his illustrious career in international play with the most World Cup appearances (26) ever by a single player.
Mbappé Secures Golden Boot After Scoring Hat-Trick In Final
Mbappé took home the Golden Boot after scoring eight goals at the 2022 World Cup, more than any other player.
While France was unable to secure its second straight World Cup victory, Mbappé’s three-goal performance for France in the World Cup Final helped him edge Messi for the most goals scored in the tournament.
Both Messi and Mbappé came into the World Cup Final tied for the lead with five goals apiece. Messi scored twice in the final to finish the tournament with seven goals and won the Golden Ball as the best player at the World Cup.
Two of the tournament’s other top scorers, Olivier Giroud (France) and Julian Alvarez (Argentina), finished with four goals each. Seven other players finished with three goals, headlined by Marcus Rashford (England) and Enner Valencia (Ecuador).
Here is a list of the top goal scorers at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
- Kylian Mbappé (France) — 8
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 7
- Olivier Giroud (France) — 4
- Julian Alvarez (Argentina) — 4
- Marcus Rashford (England) — 3
- Gonçalo Ramos (Portugal) — 3
- Álvaro Morata (Spain) — 3
- Enner Valencia (Ecuador) — 3
- Bukayo Saka (England) — 3
- Richarlison (Brazil) — 3
- Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) — 3
Historic Tournament Lands Mbappé on List of Top Scorers in World Cup History
Mbappé has only played in two World Cups but has become one of the most prolific goal scorers in World Cup history.
With four goals in 2018 and eight goals in 2022, Mbappé is only four goals away from tying Miroslav Klose for the most goals ever at the World Cup.
At age 24, Mbappe will have several other chances to break the record.
Meanwhile, Messi will finish his career tied for fourth all-time with 13 World Cup goals.
Here is a list of the top goal scorers in World Cup history.
- Miroslav Klose (2002-2014) — 16
- Ronaldo (1994-2006) —15
- Gerd Muller (1970-1974) — 14
- Lionel Messi (1996-2022) — 13
- Just Fontaine (1958) — 13
- Kylian Mbappé (2018-2022) — 12
- Pele (1958-1970) — 12
- Jürgen Klinsmann (1990-1998) — 11
- Sándor Kocsis (1954) — 11
- Gabriel Batistuta (1994-2002) — 10
Messi Breaks Record for Most World Cup Appearances Ever
Argentina’s trip to the World Cup Final also earned Messi another historic accomplishment.
The legendary footballer will finish his international career with the most World Cup appearances ever.
Messi played in his 26th World Cup match on Sunday, surpassing Lothar Matthaus of Germany (25) for the all-time record.
Christiano Ronaldo (22) finished fifth all-time in World Cup appearances in what will likely be his final time in a Portugal kit.
Check out a list of players with the most appearances in World Cup history below.
- Lionel Messi — 26
- Lothar Matthaus — 25
- Miroslav Klose — 24
- Paolo Maldini — 23
- Christiano Ronaldo — 22
- Uwe Seeler — 21
- Wladyslaw Zmuda — 21
- Diego Maradona — 21
