Norway vs. France: Kylian Mbappe aiming to continue stunning start to 2026 World Cup

Ahead of France's 2026 World Cup clash with Norway, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses Les Bleus forward Kylian Mbappe.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "What do you want from your striker?"

The most exceptional part of his record is that it's in just 16 games. 

Messi is 18 in 28, and Miroslav Klose is the closest with 16 in 24 games, so the goals-to-game ratio is the really important figure when comparing the top scorers at the tournament. 

When you think about the criticism Mbappe has faced, including from the French media for certain aspects of his lifestyle or his team contribution, it always makes me laugh. 

What do you want from your striker? You want him to score goals. 

If you've got a player of that ilk scoring that many goals, that translates into being incredibly important for the team, rather than a player who gets half the goals and might make a few more impressive passes during a game. 

He has been exceptional, and so have his assists for France. It's 100 games for France now, 60 goals, 40 assists, so we're talking about 100 goal involvements in 100 caps. 

The numbers are off the chart. Messi is top, Mbappe is joint second, but Ronaldo might still push up. He came back with two goals against Uzbekistan, but that's for another time. 

This is Mbappe's tournament, and can he inspire France to go all the way? 

A lot of us fancy France, and they've been one of the most impressive sides so far. They've scored three goals in each game, with Mbappe on four, and hopefully we don't get a drab nil-nil.