PHILADELPHIA — France manager Didier Deschamps seemed to suggest Kylian Mbappe will eventually secure the all-time World Cup goals record after his 27-year-old striker struck a second double of the tournament in Monday’s 3-0 win over Iraq.
Mbappe’s third and fourth goals of the competition pulled him level with the former all-time record holder Miroslav Klose at 16 for his career. He’s now two behind Lionel Messi, who has already scored five times this tournament following his brace earlier Monday despite approaching his 39th birthday.
“Well, records are there to be broken,” Deschamps said in the post-match press conference, through an interpreter. “And now he has a symbolic figure. He has 100 caps. He’s always scored goals. He will score more goals.
“Take Messi, take (Cristiano) Ronaldo. I’m not sure that Kylian will play up to their age, but as long as he’s on the pitch and as he feels right, he will score a lot of goals. Every time he beats his own record, he does have the capacity to up his ante.”
Mbappe’s latest double was perhaps his most unusual, the goals coming nearly three hours apart in the first match of this World Cup beset by a lengthy weather delay.
What did France do during the delay?
“We played cards,” Deschamps quipped. “No, well, we were waiting. We had slots that kept being pushed forward again. And what is most important with (Iraq manager Graham Arnold) is to have the 20 minutes to do another warm-up, to not take any risks.
“There was a lot of rain that made the pitch very heavy. It was the first time that it happened to me. Same for my players.”
Deschamps admitted the ordeal was frustrating, but also felt there was little anyone could’ve done differently.
“I was actually having a good time with the players,” he said. “We’re making fun. You know, it’s a question of safety and it’s just the way it is. You cannot fight against rain and lightning when there is a risk.
“It’s almost early morning in Europe, well, these are very special circumstances and I do hope that they will not happen again.”
As for the other goal-scorer, Ousmane Dembele? Deschamps hopes the reigning Ballon d’Or winner is just getting started after his first of the tournament.
“Be easy on Ousmane,” he said. “There’s no issue with Ousmane. He also needs to readapt to a system in which he doesn’t play throughout the year.
“As long as Ousmane is well physically, and this is the case, then it’s just fine-tuning. I trust in Ousmane. He knows that. And he’s not somebody who doubts, and doing what he did today, it’s important because he’s a decisive player.”
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
