Securing a place at the World Cup was already reason enough for celebration, but Kylian Mbappé added a personal milestone to France’s achievement. In a dominant win, he scored twice and reached 400 career goals. Yet the star forward insists he does not view the landmark as anything extraordinary. He believes it will only be meaningful if he can score another 400 and even if it seems impossible, he has an eye on 1,000 goals.
France booked their place at the World Cup on Thursday in Paris with a 4–0 win over Ukraine. Mbappé scored from the penalty spot in the 55th minute and added another in the 83rd.
Those two goals pushed him closer to becoming France’s all-time leading scorer. At 26, he has now reached 400 goals in his career.
After the match, however, he downplayed the achievement.
“People aren’t amazed by 400 goals. To do something that truly surprises people, I need another 400.”
If 800 is possible, why not 1,000? Cristiano Ronaldo has openly chased the ambition of scoring 1,000 career goals.
Mbappé considers that number to be far beyond his reach for now, but he does not intend to stop trying.
“Cristiano Ronaldo’s 1,000 goals? That seems unrealistic. But why not try to achieve the unimaginable? We only get one career — we have to keep trying.”
Qualifying for the World Cup brings him great relief. For the runners-up of the last tournament and the champions before that, reaching the finals may feel routine, but Mbappé reminded everyone that it remains a significant accomplishment.
“I’m very proud to have secured our place there. You should never take it lightly. Maybe it feels normal for us now, but it hasn’t always been that way in the history of the France national team.”
He added: “Everyone talks about football, but playing at a World Cup is something different… only those who have been there know how special it is. Representing your country on the world stage is an incredible honour.”
France’s ambition, Mbappé made clear, is to win the World Cup. The forward, who scored a hat-trick in the thrilling final of the last edition, wants to use that match as motivation for the upcoming tournament.
“Of course we’ll go to the World Cup to win it, just like the other 48 teams. Our dream is to add a third star to the France shirt. The 2022 World Cup final has to be our source of belief. We’ll wait for the draw and then focus on the group-stage matches.”
