Kylian Mbappe breaks record for most World Cup final goals

Kylian Mbappe has become the first player to score four goals in World Cup finals courtesy of his hat-trick against Argentina this evening.

The 23-year-old France talisman was kept quiet for large parts of the 2022 final in Qatar, but burst into life 10 minutes before the end of normal time with a quickfire brace which levelled the scores.

In doing so, Mbappe became the youngest player to reach double figures for goals in World Cup history, and also one of only six players to net in two separate World Cup finals.

Lionel Messi's second of the game restored Argentina's lead in extra time, but Mbappe scored from the spot for the second time to complete his hat-trick - becoming only the second man after Sir Geoff Hurst to claim the matchball in a World Cup final.

Mbappe's third saw him move on to four goals in World Cup finals overall, taking him clear of Hurst, Pele, Vava and Zinedine Zidane as the leading scorer in the biggest game in football.

4 - Kylian Mbappé has scored more World Cup final goals than any other player in the tournament's history (4). Steel. pic.twitter.com/7rh6sTNcek

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 18, 2022

It was also enough for the Paris Saint-Germain forward to win the Golden Boot ahead of his clubmate Messi, although that came as scant consolation as France ultimately fell short in a penalty shootout.

Nonetheless, Mbappe's history-making heroics saw him end the 2022 edition of the World Cup with an identical record to Brazil legend Pele of 12 goals in 14 games in the tournament.

Only five players have ever scored more World Cup goals than the 23-year-old, who will have Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16 in his sights at future tournaments.