Lionel Messi made the record as the World Cup’s all-time top scorer his own with a brace against Austria, and 18 goals now stand beside the Argentina captain’s name. The next name on the list is Kylian Mbappe; the France captain’s tally is just two fewer, at 16. But Kylian Mbappe will one day break Messi’s record of most goals — so believes France coach Didier Deschamps.
On Monday night, Mbappe got a brace in France’s 3-0 win over Iraq, taking his World Cup total to 16 and equalling the longstanding record of the German legend Miroslav Klose. It was right after that match that the France coach made his confident comment about his captain.
At the post-match press conference, Deschamps said: ‘Records are made to be broken. He has now also touched a symbolic number — he has played 100 international matches. He has always scored, and he will score more in future.’
Citing the long careers of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the France coach said: ‘Look at Messi, look at Ronaldo. I am not sure whether Mbappe will play until their age. But as long as he is on the pitch and feeling good, he will score many goals.’ He added: ‘Every time, he breaks his own record and takes himself higher. He has that ability.’
The match against Iraq was a special one for Mbappe, as it was the 100th match of his international career. But it was not a normal match like any other: play was suspended for a long time because of bad weather. Asked what the players had done during the break, he said: ‘We played cards.’
Deschamps said the heavy rain had made conditions on the pitch very difficult, and that it was the first such experience of his coaching career. ‘We were waiting, and the time kept being pushed back,’ the France coach said. ‘The most important thing was getting another 20 minutes of warm-up so there was no risk.’
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report