Mbappe plans to top Michel Platini's international goals record

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Mar 2023 22:03

Until today, Kylian Mbappe has scored a total of 38 international goals, only three fewer than French playmaker Platini.

Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their second goal vs. AS Monaco - Parc des Princes, Paris, France, December 12, 2021 (Reuters)

Kylian Mbappe plans to surpass France great Michel Platini's international goal-scoring tally when he soon faces the Republic of Ireland in a Euro 2024 qualifiers.

The 24-year-old star is set to captain the French team in Dublin on Monday having scored two goals in Friday's comprehensive 4-0 defeat of the Netherlands.

Mbappe's goals at the Euro qualifications rounds came after he scored a hattrick against Argentina at the World Cup finals where he led his national team that eventually lost.

Until today, Kylian Mbappe has scored a total of 38 international goals, only three fewer than French playmaker Platini, but still some way short of Olivier Giroud's all-time France record of 53 goals.

"For me, it's an honor to be at this stage," Mbappe told a pre-match press conference on Sunday. "That's my next target and I'll keep going, It might be tomorrow, it might not."

"Obviously Michel Platini is a legend of French football, but I'll get past that mark at some point," added the 24-year-old.

Mbappe was appointed captain following the long-serving Hugo Lloris by Deschamps, France's national team coach.

Deschamps was confident that the new captain would be able to put the team's needs ahead of any of his personal aims, including increasing his international goal scores.

"That's Kylian, he's full of ambitions, always setting himself new objectives, new goals," said Deschamps. "But the group, the collective, comes first. He's gone past people quickly, but his motivation is to keep going."