Mbappe names – Kylian Mbappe backed Lionel Messi as the clear best player in the world, praising the Argentinian’s ability alongside his own rise with France. The Real Madrid forward made the comments ahead of France’s next 2026 World Cup group game after starting the tourna
Kylian Mbappe didn’t have to wait for the next night of football to make his point. France’s campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup had already kicked off, and the forward was setting the tone even before the spotlight of his next match against Iran.
After France beat Senegal 3-1, Mbappe delivered the kind of impact that doesn’t just win games—it reshapes conversations. He scored a brace in that opening victory, turning the match into a statement from the moment he stepped forward.
In the run-up to France’s second group-stage fixture, Mbappe was asked about the best player in the world. His answer came with unusual certainty. “Lionel Messi. It’s clear. He’s the best in the world with Cristiano [Ronaldo],” Mbappe said in his press conference the day before France played Iran.
Mbappe’s confidence isn’t built on headlines alone. He has seen Messi up close during club football, spending two seasons with him at Paris Saint-Germain. During those years. PSG won the Ligue 1 title in both seasons. and in Messi’s final year in Paris. the Argentinian led the league in assists with 16.
There’s also history that burns a little brighter when the question is asked about “best.” In the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final. Messi’s Argentina defeated Mbappe’s France. with the match ending in penalties. Mbappe would have seen what Messi could do on the biggest stage—then watched it translate into the kind of triumph that becomes part of football folklore.
Mbappe, meanwhile, arrives at the 2026 tournament with his own trophy collection and expectations built in. He previously won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, scoring eight goals in total—an output that included three goals in the final defeat to Argentina.
The forward’s view also circles back to Cristiano Ronaldo. whose name he included when asked who should be considered the best in the world. Mbappe’s choice—placing Messi at the top while still crediting Ronaldo—reflects how the last two decades have defined elite football through two extraordinary careers.
Now Mbappe is 27 and plays his club football for Real Madrid. His focus is on washing away the frustration of recent seasons in Spain: he has gone through two consecutive disappointing seasons in the Bernabéu. missing out on the La Liga and UCL titles in those two years. For him. the World Cup is the chance to reset that narrative. and he’s already been through the moment once before.
France won the World Cup in 2018, and Mbappe has that title on his résumé. With France starting the 2026 tournament strongly against Senegal—3-1 with his brace—he’s positioning himself to lead the way again. this time chasing a second World Cup trophy and hoping his next chapters end with the same kind of lift as 2018.
Kylian Mbappe Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo France Senegal 2026 FIFA World Cup Iran Real Madrid Paris Saint-Germain Golden Boot Ligue 1