25 Jul 2026 18:53 BST |
3 min read
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Kylian Mbappe surpassed Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time record goalscorer at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The Real Madrid superstar trailed Giroud by just a single goal ahead of the competition, and he pulled well clear of his former teammate with a Golden Boot-winning haul of 10 goals.
Mbappe had already written an impressive legacy for the national team before the tournament by winning the 2018 World Cup and then bagging a hat-trick in the final four years later as Didier Deschamps’ side fell just short in the defence of their title.
The Real Madrid striker has 66 international goals to his credit and, along with Giroud (57) and Thierry Henry (51), is one of three players to have hit the half-century mark with his country.
Who is France’s record goal scorer?
Kylian Mbappe is the highest scorer in the history of the France national team with 53 goals.
He surpassed Olivier Giroud in France’s opening game of the 2026 World Cup when he notched a brace against Senegal, which included a very impressive long-range strike in stoppage time.
He then went further clear at the top of the charts by scoring another eight goals in the next seven games as France came fourth. Remarkably, this was the lowest finish of Mbappe’s World Cup career after winning the competition in 2018 and reaching the final in 2022.
Thanks to his 10 goals, Mbappe also pulled clear of Lionel Messi at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring charts. He has netted 22 times in 22 matches across the tournaments, whereas Messi needed six World Cups and 34 games for his 21 goals.
France’s leading scorers are largely drawn from the last couple of decades, although some greats from the past are thrown in for good measure.
Les Bleus’ previous top scorer, Giroud, bagged his 52nd international goal just before half-time of France’s last-16 2022 World Cup game against Poland, which saw him overtake Thierry Henry. He retired after Euro 2024 with 57 strikes to his name.
Henry, who ranks third in France’s goal list, is Arsenal’s leading scorer. He represented France between 1997 and 2010, collecting 123 caps and featuring in the squads that won both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Top 10 France goal scorers of all time
| Player | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | 106 | 66 |
| Olivier Giroud | 137 | 57 |
| Thierry Henry | 142 | 51 |
| Antoine Griezmann | 137 | 44 |
| Michel Platini | 72 | 41 |
| Karim Benzema | 97 | 37 |
| David Trezeguet | 71 | 34 |
| Zinedine Zidane | 108 | 31 |
| Just Fontaine | 21 | 30 |
| Jean-Pierre Papin | 54 | 30 |
| Youri Djorkaeff | 82 | 28 |
Karim Benzema, meanwhile, is on 37 goals but has retired from international football. His tally is lower than it might have been due to a spell in the international wilderness.
Perhaps the most remarkable scoring statistics, though, belong to Just Fontaine, who scored 30 goals in just 21 internationals, including five hat-tricks. Fontaine won his caps from 1953-1960, scoring a record 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup, which is a mark that still stands.
Mbappe was the only member of France’s all-time leading scorers at the 2026 World Cup, with the still-active Giroud, Griezmann and Benzema having all quit the international scene previously.
