2026 FIFA WCQ: Mbappe downplay the pressure of becoming the youngest player since Pelé to score 400 goals
France captain Kylian Mbappé continues to collect historic achievements for fun, now becoming the youngest player this century to reach the 400-goal mark in his career.
The 26-year-old forward scored a brace in France’s 4–0 victory over Ukraine to secure Les Bleus’ spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But Mbappé’s second signified something much more than an exclamation point on his performance—it marked the 400th time he found the back of the net in his illustrious career.
No player in the 21st century has reached this milestone faster than the Real Madrid star. In fact, the only player in history to score 400 goals before turning 26 is Pelé. The Brazilian legend, who many still consider the greatest of all time, reached the landmark at 23 years old.
The comparisons between Pelé and Mbappé have been constantly made ever since the Frenchman became only the second teenager ever to score in a FIFA World Cup final in 2018, replicating what the Brazilian did in the 1958 final.
Mbappé’s quest to reach the 400th goal of his career was aided by a fantastic start to the 2025–26 season in which he’s scored 23 goals in 20 appearances for club and country.
Following his performance against Ukraine, Mbappé shared his thoughts on reaching the 400-goal career milestone, showing incredible hunger for more.
“400 career goals? 400 goals don’t impress people,” the Frenchman said. “I want to leave my mark in football history, so I need to score 400 more.
“There’s one with 950-plus goals and another with 900-plus. So 400 goals aren’t enough to be in the group of players who shock people.”
Mbappe is clearly alluding to what Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been able to achieve throughout their storied careers, making a point that he’s still got a long way to go to reach their level.
Nevertheless, Mbappé is going at a stronger pace than what the duo of greats had achieved at this stage of their careers.
Simply put, Mbappé’s current trajectory has the potential of being considered among the all-time greats—if he isn’t already.
