‘I don’t watch what he does’

Kylian Mbappe says the race for the golden boot with Lionel Messi will put “extra” pressure on the 2026 World Cup after both strikers continued their impressive starts to the tournament on matchday two.

Hours after Messi made it five goals with a brace against Austria – a game in which the Argentina captain and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner also conceded an early penalty – Mbappe scored his second brace in two games as France beat Iraq 3-0.

“Leo always scores goals,” said Mbappe, answering a question about his appreciation for the competition that seems to force him to finish as the top scorer.

“He always scores, he scores and he will always score. If I want to see what Leo is doing, I have to do more.”

World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe

Messi equaled the record of German legend Miroslav Klose scoring 16 goals in the World Cup with his first hat-trick in this tournament when Argentina won 3-0 against Austria on the first day of the match.

Mbappe was equal to Gerd Muller from West Germany with 14 points and now he has surpassed Ronaldo’s tally of 15, placing the captain of the Bleus and Klose.

“I don’t really look at what he does,” Mbappe said of Messi, with whom he played 67 times for Paris Saint-Germain between 2021 and 2023.

“I’m only thinking about helping my team, I’m sure that by helping my team, I score goals and, when you score goals, it’s obvious that you get closer to that level.

“I always scored goals in the World Cup, so it’s not something I think I should worry about.

“The priority for us is to make sure how strong we are as a team, because we know that if we move forward, this is where we will be tested.

“To win the World Cup you have to beat everyone, so it will be very difficult.

“We have a long and difficult road ahead, and we will try to do everything to succeed.”

Messi also underestimated his place among the champions of the World Cup. “Although it is a source of pride to be able to compete with all of them, it means nothing to me,” he said after the first day of the game.

“In the end, it’s math and nothing else.”

Here are nine players who have scored more than 10 goals in the World Cup. Among the players participating in 2026, England’s Harry Kane has 10 years and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Neymar have 8 each.

France vs Iraq: World Cup delay ‘bad’

Mbappe was asked about the signs he appeared to be making to officials when Iraq’s victory was interrupted in Philadelphia, where the second half started more than two hours after the end of the first due to lightning in the area.

“It was not anger, but it was because the part of the field where we attacked was full of water,” explained Mbappe.

“They spent 20 minutes clearing our defense, but they didn’t waste time clearing our attack.

“I wanted them to spend the same amount of time clearing both sides of the pitch – or, if they had to choose, clear the attacking side and slow down the other end.

“It’s hot. [It’s] the fact of waiting two hours, and then there you [re-emerge] you can see they didn’t protect the stadium – normally they should close it.

“[That] it causes a little irritation, but it passes.”

2026 World Cup: Ousmane Dembele ‘unique’

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele set up Mbappe’s second goal and scored France’s third, opening his account at the biggest competition after going 13 World Cup and seven EURO matches without scoring.

“The whole team wanted him to score,” said Mbappe. “We wanted to feed him because he is an important player.

“We know that if he plays the way he played today, it is very useful for us, and the team will be much better.

“It is clear that there is a desire for Ousmane to feel free and comfortable no matter where he plays, as long as he is able to play his football.

“When he plays his football he is a unique and special player, he had a chance to decide today, but I think even if he didn’t decide, you could feel from his touch, his willingness to take action, and everything he did that he feels happy.

“It’s great for us and we’re very happy.”

Mbappe World Cup matches: Confirmed schedule, kick-off times

Here’s what France’s schedule and possible knockout stage methods look like, and how to watch in the UK.