France 3-1 Senegal: Kylian Mbappe stands up in World Cup opener as 'superstar' the first to shine Stateside
Kylian Mbappe stole the show as France beat Senegal 3-1 in their World Cup opener; Mbappe scored twice, becoming France's all-time top scorer in the process; the Real Madrid star is only two goals off scoring the most goals in World Cup history
Tuesday 16 June 2026 23:28, UK
It's been a strange season for Kylian Mbappe. Plenty of goals, no trophies and criticism from his home fans. But when the lights of the World Cup shine, nothing else matters.
Having watched the likes of Vinicius Junior and Lamine Yamal fail to guide their teams to victory over the start of the tournament this summer, he made sure not to follow suit in remarkable style.
France flattered to deceive in the opening 45 minutes in their opening game against Senegal. If anything, they were lucky to be level going into the break. Their only real bright spark was the Madridista, whose touch let him down in the final third.
Maybe that was a case of rustiness. By the second half, Mbappe was his frightening, electric best.
When you have Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and hopeful Michael Olise sacrificing their games for you, it proves your special. And there may be no player more special than 'World Cup' Mbappe.
How the 27-year-old didn't win a penalty following a lunge by Sadio Mane remains baffling despite the result. He had beaten the former Liverpool man all ends up in a snippet of what could come this summer.
Despite the controversial decision, he didn't let it affect him. He dusted himself off and five minutes later had given Les Bleus the advantage. His opener may not have been as eye-catching as what would follow, but a smart first-time finish on the swivel as the goalkeeper closed down the angle showcased his natural finishing ability.
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Then came the showstopper. The icing on the cake. Having watched PSG youngster Ibrahim Mbaye pull one back with a thunderous stoppage-time strike, Mbappe decided he was not to be shown up.
From all of 35 yards out, the Frenchman mimicked his idol Cristiano Ronaldo's goal for Manchester United against Porto in 2009. One touch to get the ball out of his feet, another to find the top-left corner.
The strike had an xG of just 0.02. Putting it simply, he had just a two per cent chance of finding the net there. Yet that shouldn't be a surprise. Mbappe has made a career of doing the unthinkable at the World Cup.
In his debut tournament, he stole the show as a teenager. While Didier Deschamps' team was star-studded, he was the jewel in the crown to take them to the trophy in Russia while being named young player of the tournament.
Four years later in Qatar, it was more of the same from an evolved Mbappe. While it didn't lead to a retention of the trophy, he capped things off with a World Cup final hat-trick. Only Sir Geoff Hurst had managed such a feat before him.
His second goal etched his name in France history, as he overtook Olivier Giroud as France's all-time top scorer with 58 goals. But that isn't the only goal record he will be hoping to hold come the middle of July.
In two full tournaments and one extra game, Mbappe is just two goals away from equalling Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals. To think, he could still have another two tournaments in him at least to break and extend that.
It's early days in this edition of the world's most famous tournament, but the France No 10 is already staking a claim as the greatest World Cup performer of all time. More of this, and the crown will be undeniable.
Rooney: Mbappe an absolute superstar
Even some of the greats of the game have had to bow their head to Mbappe's greatness.
Speaking in the aftermath of his game-winning double against Senegal, Wayne Rooney described his efforts as "absolutely incredible".
"Mbappe is an absolute superstar," he said on BBC Sport. "I said at half-time, you are quite lucky as a forward because you can have a 45 minutes like he had in the first half and be disappointing, and then you can come out and have a second half like he just had.
"He's absolutely incredible. No doubt throughout this tournament he will go on to be the greatest World Cup goalscorer of all time."
