Olivier Giroud has claimed he will have to “make the most” of being France’s best ever goalscorer because Kylian Mbappe will soon smash his record.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker netted his 52nd international goal against Poland to overtake Thierry Henry’s mark. But Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe still stole the headlines by scoring two more to lead the race for the Golden Boot - and set up a blockbuster World Cup quarter-final with England on Saturday.
Mbappbe, 23, has now scored 33 goals in 63 internationals - and was hailed as an “extra-terrestrial” by Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski.
And Milan's Giroud, 36, laughed: “I have to make the most of the record. Kylian is going to catch me soon.
"He is destined to beat me. He continues his rise. He has again scored two superb goals and he deserves it. He continues to impress. We all know what he is capable of. What more can you say?”
Mbappe now is the World Cup’s all-time top goalscorer for players aged 23 or under after previously sharing the record of seven with Pele.
Napoli star Zielinski said: “He is an extra-terrestrial! Mbappe is one of the best players in the world, maybe the best. He impressed me unbelievably. The shots, the dribbling, the speed.
"And even if he makes a mistake, he goes again straight away. I had obviously seen him a few times on TV. But there is a big difference between watching him and facing him. There he seems even more unstoppable.”
Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana, who has won six caps at the age of 23, said: “Nine goals in the World Cup and he is not yet 24, it is massive. And it is only the start. We are not going to start to count immediately. We can leave him a little bit. It is all extraordinary. He carries the team.”
The reigning world champions went out in the last 16 of Euro 2020 on penalties to Switzerland after Mbappe missed from the spot.
The shock elimination was followed by anger and divisions within the French squad. This time Les Bleus queued up to pay tribute to Mbappe after the 3-1 win over Poland.
Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who nearly joined Manchester United in the summer, told L’Equipe: “He doesn’t surprise me in the sense that I know his potential and his room for improvement. We are aware that he can do a lot given his enormous qualities.
"But it remains incredible, his goals, where he scores from, the angles he finds.”
Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman added: “He is already making his mark. They are not stats that you are used to seeing. We know he is capable of doing this kind of things. But we are delighted he is doing them for us."
