Forward Kylian Mbappe acknowledges that he has a long way to go to catch up with the goal-scoring records of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, even after scoring a hat-trick against Gibraltar, reaching the 300-goal milestone.
His hat-trick against Gibraltar in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on November 18 made Mbappe the youngest player to reach the 300-goal mark in his career at 24 years, 10 months, and 29 days. Lionel Messi reached this milestone at 25 years, 4 months, and 3 days, while Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th goal at the age of 27. Ronaldo has 859 goals, including 731 club goals and 128 international goals, while Messi has 721 club goals and 106 international goals.
“Some players have scored 800 goals, even 850 goals in their careers. Placing the 300-goal milestone next to such records is quite amusing,” Mbappe told Téléfoot TV after the victory over Gibraltar. “This is a step forward for me, and I want to continue playing a decisive role for the national team and the club.”
On the day Mbappe made history, France also set a record for the largest victory in its history by defeating Gibraltar 14-0. This was also the most significant margin of victory in the history of the Euro qualifiers, breaking the record set by Germany’s 13-0 win over San Marino in 2006.
Mbappe mentioned that the entire team aimed to break the record for the biggest victory in French football history, so they played seriously throughout the 90 minutes. The 24-year-old forward takes pride in the collective achievement rather than reaching the 300-goal milestone individually. “We need to highlight the collective victory,” he expressed. “There have been many talented generations of the French national team, so achieving the record for the biggest victory is special. A great team achievement is much more valuable than the best individual performance.”
Mbappe completed his hat-trick and reached the 300-goal mark with a superb goal in the 82nd minute. He received the ball from Youssouf Fofana and chipped it from 40 meters over the Gibraltar goalkeeper. The French team captain revealed that he had noticed the position of the Gibraltar goalkeeper about 20-25 minutes before the goal. “I saw him standing quite high, and I didn’t understand why,” Mbappe recounted. “Then, scoring the goal was just instinctive. I knew I would take the shot when I received the ball from Fofana. Today, the ball went into the net; at other times, it might not.”
In addition to his hat-trick, Mbappe provided three assists, setting goals for Jonathan Clauss, Youssouf Fofana, and Kingsley Coman. “The captain’s armband forces you to change; if you don’t want to change, you’re not fit to be the captain,” the 24-year-old forward said. “When I’m not the captain, I have a more personal view of individual achievements. As the captain, first and foremost, I have to think about my teammates.”
Mbappe admits that he needs to change and evolve his playing style over time, using the example of Messi playing at PSG being different from when he played for Barcelona. “Football changes over time. If you don’t change, football will move on to something else, and you will be forgotten,” the French national team captain emphasized.
