Kylian Mbappe is officially the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer, racking up 22 career goals and grabbing the top scorer title for this tournament. He just blew past Lionel Messi’s record of 21. But here is the kicker: he did it in a game that literally does not matter, a wild 6-4 loss to England in the third-place match on Saturday.
Historic Records in a Meaningless Game?
You cannot deny the dude’s talent. Mbappe pushed his career World Cup tally to 22 goals, eclipsing Messi’s 21. He also became the first player since Gerd Muller in 1970 to hit double digits in goals at a single World Cup, finishing this one with 10. These are two of the biggest individual scoring records in the sport, and Mbappe snagged both on the same afternoon. That sounds epic, right? It should. But it all went down in a game that decided absolutely nothing. It was about standing slightly higher on a podium nobody wanted. How much do those records actually count?
FIFA’s Third-Place Farce
Let’s be real: these third-place games are as useful as a surfboard in Nebraska. Seriously, soccer’s third-place match gives you an “honor” that nobody cares about or remembers. It is a tier above a glorified friendly, several tiers below even the Club World Cup final. Quick, who played in the 2006 World Cup third-place match? Exactly, you do not know. Germany versus Portugal. France, the favorites, got humbled 2-0 by Spain in the semifinals, where Mbappe himself barely got a sniff. Under typical knockout rules, that loss should have ended his tournament. Everywhere else, one loss means you go home. But lose in the semifinal, and suddenly you get a bonus match, tacked on 72 hours later, against another team that also just lost. It is the title match of losers, effectively. The Copa America has done it since 1993, and all anyone remembers is Messi and Gary Medel nearly coming to blows. The UEFA European Championship stopped this nonsense in 1980, which is one of many things Europe does better.
When Disinterest Undermines Legacy
FIFA has absolutely heard the pleas to scrap this game because nobody involved treats it like the semifinals they just lost. Coaches rotate entire lineups. Stars sit out entirely. Harry Kane, enjoy the show from the bench, right? Coaches make decisions they typically would not, like Thomas Tuchel not retreating and bringing on Dan Burn. Compare that to an Olympic bronze medal match where athletes empty the tank because medals are everything. In the World Cup third-place game? Not so much. So while Mbappe’s records are technically on the books, their legitimacy gets totally diluted by the sheer pointlessness of the fixture itself. This puts FIFA in a tough spot. Are we going to let monumental records be set in glorified exhibition matches, or will they finally listen and scrap the most useless game on the calendar? For Mbappe, these are huge stats, but the asterisk is screaming at you.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Leave a Reply