France attacker Kylian Mbappe will be aiming to make World Cup final history when Les Bleus tackle Argentina in Sunday’s final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
The Paris Saint-Germain star is involved in a heated battle with teammate Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot, having found the back of the net five times in Qatar so far.
Mbappe opened his World Cup campaign with one strike in his side’s opening 4-1 win over Australia before scoring both goals in a last 16-clinching 2-1 success over Denmark on matchday two in Group D.
The 23-year-old propelled France through to the quarter-finals after striking a brace in a 3-1 success over Poland, although he has failed to net in subsequent meetings with England and Morocco.
Nevertheless, Mbappe is within touching distance of departing the Middle East with the Golden Boot in the bag, with Messi also sitting on five strikes so far.
Furthermore, the ex-Monaco starlet made the net ripple for Les Bleus in the 2018 final against Croatia, scoring the fourth and final France goal in that 4-2 win at the age of just 19.
Should Mbappe manage to repeat that feat on Sunday, he will set a new record as the youngest player to ever score in more than one World Cup final at 23 years and 363 days.
Brazil legend Pele famously scored twice in the 1958 final against Sweden aged just 17, but the forward was unable to take part in the 1962 final due to injury and had to wait until 1970 to score in his second World Cup final.
Mbappe will celebrate his 24th birthday two days after the World Cup final, and the Frenchman is also out to join an exclusive club of players to have scored in multiple World Cup finals.
Compatriot Zinedine Zidane and Pele are two of the four players to have previously done so, while the latter’s fellow Brazilian Vava did so in the 1958 and 1962 finals.
Via PUNCH
