France manager Didier Deschamps believes Kylian Mbappe is destined to become the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading scorer after the forward’s latest brace helped Les Bleus secure a 3-0 win over Iraq on Monday.
Mbappe struck twice in France’s weather-disrupted Group I clash to take his World Cup tally to 16 goals, drawing level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose. The 27-year-old now trails Lionel Messi’s record of 18 goals by just two, with the Argentina captain also continuing to add to his tally at the ongoing tournament.
Speaking after the win, Deschamps backed Mbappe to eventually surpass Messi’s mark.
“Records are there to be broken,” Deschamps said. “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 double was unusual even by World Cup standards, with the two goals arriving nearly three hours apart after severe weather forced a lengthy suspension of play.
Deschamps revealed France spent the delay trying to stay relaxed while waiting for updates on when the match could resume.
“We played cards,” he joked. “No, well, we were waiting. We had slots that kept being pushed forward again. And what is most important with my colleague 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.”
While admitting the circumstances were frustrating, the France coach accepted that safety concerns left organisers with little choice.
“I was actually having a good time with the players. 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. These are very special circumstances and I do hope that they will not happen again.”
Deschamps also praised Ousmane Dembele after the Ballon d’Or winner opened his account for the tournament with France’s other goal against Iraq.
“Be easy on Ousmane,” Deschamps said. “There’s no issue with Ousmane. He also needs to re-adapt 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.”
With France already through to the knockout stage and Mbappe closing rapidly on Messi’s World Cup record, Deschamps’ prediction may soon face its biggest test.
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