Mbappé storms to the top! The Frenchman surpasses Klose to become the king of World Cup knockouts (Video)

Kylian Mbappé has achieved two sensational milestones at the World Cup: the French striker has overtaken Miroslav Klose in the all-time World Cup scorers' list and has become the most prolific knockout stage scorer in the tournament's history.

Details: The France and Real Madrid forward opened the scoring in the 45th minute of the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 clash against Sweden.

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Mbappé now has 17 goals in 18 World Cup matches. This tally puts him in clear second place, overtaking Germany's Miroslav Klose.

Only Lionel Messi stands ahead, with 19 goals in 29 World Cup games. But Mbappé's scoring rate is simply staggering: the French superstar finds the net nearly every time he steps onto the World Cup stage.

Mbappé has also rewritten the knockout stage record books. He now boasts 9 goals in 9 elimination matches—the best tally ever seen at World Cup knockout stages. The Frenchman has eclipsed Leônidas and Ronaldo, who both had 8 goals at this stage.

Reminder: Earlier, we reported that Les Bleus break a 68-year-old record