Born for the World Cup? Mbappé Scores 14 Goals in 3 Tournaments! Surpasses Messi to Claim 3rd Place All-Time, Setting 5 Major Records

In the opening Group I clash of the World Cup, concluding on June 17th Beijing time, France defeated Senegal 3-1 to start strong. During this game, Mbappé, the 27-year-old French star, scored a brace in the second half, again emerging as the game-changer for France.

Although Mbappé initially carried over a sluggish performance from pre-World Cup warm-ups, failing to register a shot on target in the first half and missing a one-on-one chance early in the second, he once again demonstrated what it means to be a superstar "born for the World Cup."

He first found the net in the 65th minute, receiving a through ball from Olise to break the deadlock for France. Then, in the 96th minute, he unleashed a stunning long-range strike to seal the victory for his team.

With this brace, Mbappé set several records. First, he has now scored 58 goals for the national team, officially overtaking Giroud to claim the top spot as France's all-time leading scorer.

Second, at 27 years and 5 months old, Mbappé became the youngest player to hold the title of France's all-time top scorer since Just Fontaine (aged 25 years and 2 months) on November 11, 1958.

Third, Mbappé has scored in three consecutive World Cups, totaling 14 goals in 15 matches. This temporarily surpassing Messi to move into third place on the World Cup's all-time scoring list, tying with German legend Gerd Müller, trailing only Ronaldo (15 goals) and Klose (16 goals).

Fourth, Mbappé has netted 15 goals in major national team tournaments (14 in World Cups and 1 in the European Championship), overtaking Platini to become France's all-time top scorer in such competitions.

Fifth, Mbappé became the first player in French history to score a brace as captain in a World Cup match.

Given his goal-scoring efficiency in the World Cup, it may only be a matter of time before Mbappé becomes the all-time top scorer the tournament's history.