Kylian Mbappe is now the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer, surpassing Lionel Messi, but can we truly celebrate that historic achievement without a massive asterisk next to it? He snagged two goals in a wild 6-4 loss to England in the third-place game on Saturday, pushing his career tally to 22, one more than Messi’s 21.
Seriously, What Even *Is* This Game?
These third-place games are absolutely wild, right? And not in a good way. The source itself calls them “meaningless” and “as useful as a surfboard in Nebraska.” Seriously, who even remembers who played for third place in the 2006 World Cup? Spoiler alert: it was Germany vs. Portugal, and exactly nobody cared then, just like nobody really cared on Saturday. France lost 2-0 to Spain in the semifinals, a game where Mbappe himself barely made a dent. By all rights, that should have been it for Les Bleus. Your tournament ends. But nope, FIFA tacks on this “title match of losers” 72 hours later. It feels like a glorified friendly at best, certainly several tiers below the Club World Cup final.
Records Broken, With a Catch
Here’s the kicker, though: Mbappe didn’t just break the all-time record. He also became the top scorer in *this* edition with 10 goals, making him the first player since Gerd Muller in 1970 to hit double digits in a single World Cup! Think about that. He grabbed two of the biggest individual scoring records in the sport on the same afternoon. But it happened in a game where defending was “decidedly optional,” a game that “decided absolutely nothing” except who gets a slightly higher spot on a podium no one wanted to be on anyway. This feels so backwards. Every other knockout round loss means you go home. Lose in the Round of 16? You’re done. Quarterfinals? See ya. But lose in the semifinals and boom, you get a bonus match to pad stats?
Time for FIFA to Get Smart
It’s just inconsistent across the sport, and that’s the real problem here. The Copa America has done this “bonus match” thing every edition since 1993, and honestly, the most memorable moment from any of those was Lionel Messi and Gary Medel nearly throwing down. Meanwhile, the UEFA European Championship got smart and stopped it in 1980. Why is FIFA dragging its feet? They say the Olympics make sense for a bronze medal because “medals are everything,” but no one treats *this* game like it’s a medal round. Coaches rotate entire lineups, stars like Harry Kane might sit it out entirely, and we even see coaches making crazy decisions like Thomas Tuchel not retreating and bringing on Dan Burn. It just shows the lack of respect this match gets.
So, what are we supposed to do with Mbappe’s incredible 22 goals and his Golden Boot? Do we celebrate it with full hearts, or does that enormous asterisk just hang there, making us question its true weight? It’s a huge moment for him individually, no doubt, but FIFA has got to figure out if they want this “useless” game to keep impacting such significant records. Will they scrap it, or will we keep debating asterisks for future legends? Something’s gotta give.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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