Kylian Mbappe's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign is already off to a historic start. The France captain scored a stunning brace in Les Bleus' 3-1 victory over Senegal at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, helping Didier Deschamps' side open their Group I campaign with three points while also rewriting the national record books.
France were made to work hard for the win after a frustrating first half in which Senegal created the better chances. Les Bleus finally found their breakthrough in the 66th minute when Michael Olise slipped a perfectly weighted pass into the penalty area. Mbappe timed his run expertly and fired a first-time finish beyond the goalkeeper to put France ahead.
The strike also took the 27-year-old forward to 57 international goals, drawing him level with Olivier Giroud atop the country's all-time scoring charts.
Substitute Bradley Barcola doubled France's advantage in the 82nd minute, but Senegal threatened a late comeback when teenager Ibrahim Mbaye fired home in stoppage time. However, any hopes of a dramatic finish were extinguished almost immediately, with Mbappe producing another moment of brilliance to move clear of Giroud and claim the record outright.
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Moments after the restart, Mbappe latched onto a pass from Olise around 30 yards from goal, turned sharply and unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the box that flew past a helpless Édouard Mendy and crashed into the back of the net. The spectacular effort sealed France's victory and capped a memorable night for the the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner.
The brace took Mbappe to 58 goals in 99 appearances for France, eclipsing Giroud's mark of 57 goals set across 137 caps. Remarkably, the Real Madrid forward needed 38 fewer appearances than his predecessor to claim top spot on the all-time list.
The record is the latest milestone in a France career that began in 2017 and has already delivered a World Cup title, another World Cup final appearance and a growing collection of individual records. His rise has also reshaped a list long dominated by some of the biggest names in French football, including Thierry Henry, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema.
Here's a look at the top five goalscorers for the French men's national team.
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | International Career |
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | 58 | 99 | 2017-present |
| 2 | Olivier Giroud | 57 | 137 | 2011-2024 |
| 3 | Thierry Henry | 51 | 123 | 1997-2010 |
| 4 | Antoine Griezmann | 44 | 137 | 2014-2024 |
| 5 | Michel Platini | 41 | 72 | 1976-1987 |
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