Ranking Kylian Mbappe’s best goals ever

Highlights

• As Kylian Mbappe gets set to leave PSG in the summer, the France star looks ready for the next chapter in his already illustrious career.
• The exciting forward has been the scorer of many wonderful goals, including ones for the likes of France, PSG and AS Monaco.
• Now, GIVEMESPORT has ranked the greatest goals in Mbappe’s career to date.

It’s hard to believe Kylian Mbappe hasn’t even reached his prime yet. The striker has been around for a while already and has taken the football world by storm in the process, with his stats being phenomenal. In over 350 appearances in domestic football, Mbappe has found the back of the net an incredible 275 times and provided 123 assists. He has also scored 46 goals for the France national team, and it is undoubtedly only a matter of time before Mbappe overtakes Olivier Giroud (56 goals) as their all-time leading goalscorer.

The Frenchman has expressed his desire to leave PSG at the end of the 2023/24 season when his contract expires and can move to a new club on a free transfer, which would arguably make him one of the best free transfers in football history. GIVEMESPORT has taken a look back through Mbappe’s illustrious history, and has ranked the best goals of his career to date (20/02/2024), using key criteria such as the importance of the goal, his age at the time of scoring, and the competition. So without further ado, here are the eight best goals in Mbappe’s career thus far.

8 France vs Sweden

UEFA Nations League

This goal perhaps sums up Mbappe’s quality, and determination to change a game in his side’s favour. With France struggling to make a breakthrough against Sweden, Mbappe showed his brilliance with a move starting on the left. The forward broke into the penalty area, beating two Sweden defenders in the process with a step-over. Mbappe’s trickery took him towards the byline, and with the angle to goal tightening, he delayed his shot to prevent a block from a defender, before coolly sweeping the ball home with a left-foot finish.

The goal was important at the time, with France wasteful with their chances, summed up by Antione Griezmann’s penalty miss. France progressed all the way to the Nations League Final, where they faced Spain, winning 2-1 and becoming the competition’s second-ever winner after Portugal.

7 France vs Poland

2022 World Cup

This game became the Kylian Mbappe show, and he was at his clinical best. He assisted Olivier Giroud in the opening goal of the game with a clever turn and pass that cut Poland’s defence wide open. Mbappe appeared to be on a mission to drag France through this game, creating several chances for his teammates, as well as finding the net twice himself.

His first goal was impressive. He received the ball just outside the box, and composed himself with a few touches, bringing him just inside the penalty area, before rifling the ball into the top corner, with the goalkeeper having no chance of keeping it out. It put France 2-0 up and cruising into the World Cup quarter-finals.

6 France vs Poland

2022 World Cup

If Mbappe’s first goal against Poland was good, his second was even better. Ousmane Dembele played the ball to Mbappe on the left of Poland’s penalty area, with very little of the goal on show, and three defenders in front of him. The French forward used one of the Polish defenders to bend the ball around and into the top corner, leaving Wojciech Szczesny in the Poland goal with no hope of getting to the ball, despite his best efforts.

France were well on the way to the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with Mbappe’s second goal of the evening putting his side 3-0 up. Despite a late Robert Lewandowski penalty, France progressed, in what was a man-of-the-match performance from their star man, registering an assist and two goals.

5 PSG vs Lyon

Coupe de France

Lyon took a shock lead against PSG in the semi-final of the Coupe de France, but it was a short-lived lead as Mbappe’s side came roaring back to win 5-1 and book their place in the final of the competition. PSG were helped when Fernando Marcal was sent off for Lyon in the 61st minute of the game and gave away a penalty as a result. Neymar converted from the spot, and from that moment Mbappe took advantage of Lyon, playing with 10 men.

His second goal of the evening, to put PSG 3-1 ahead, was something special. Mbappe took possession in his own half and drove at pace towards Lyon’s penalty area. Then, with defenders back-pedaling, he faked a shot, taking him inside the box before unleashing a powerful right-foot finish. It left Lyon dejected and the game was all but over.

4 France vs Croatia

2018 World Cup

Mbappe was only 19-years-old during the 2018 World Cup, but he didn’t appear to be phased by the occasion and was one of France’s best players throughout the tournament, scoring four goals, two behind eventual Golden Boot winner, Harry Kane. Mbappe’s goal against Croatia in the World Cup final saw him become the second-youngest player to score in the final of the tournament since Pele.

With France 3-1 up and seemingly in control of the final, Mbappe received the ball in a central area of the pitch, taking a quick look up to see the goalkeeper’s positioning wasn’t quite right, and struck the ball low from around 25-yards from goal, and finding the bottom corner with ease. France went on to win the game 4-2 and lifted the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

3 Monaco vs Saint-Etienne

Ligue 1

Mbappe made his AS Monaco debut in December 2015, and a season later he had begun to make a name for himself as one of the most lethal strikers in world football. During the 2016/17 campaign, Mbappe scored an incredible 26 goals in 44 games and provided 14 assists. Those numbers are made all the more remarkable considering he had only turned 18 years old midway through the season.

For this strike, Mbappe made a run off the shoulder of the Saint-Etienne defender and was played through on goal. He timed his run to perfection, avoiding being caught offside – a movement he has been producing far more often now. Mbappe then burst into the area before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the ball home.

2 PSG vs Montpellier

Ligue 1

Mbappe scored twice as PSG blew Montpellier away, with three goals in as many second-half minutes. It was the forward’s second goal of the game that caught the eye. The ball was fired into Mbappe at pace, and his sublime first touch brought him into the penalty area before producing a deft chip over the hapless goalkeeper and rounding off a comfortable win for the home side.

In 47 games during 2020/21, Mbappe scored 42 goals and provided 11 assists, in what was another stellar campaign by the Frenchman. However, Mbappe’s outstanding performances were not enough for PSG to clinch the Ligue 1 title, falling a point short of Lille, and finishing the season in second place.

1 France vs Argentina

2022 World Cup

Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe, Argentina vs France. It was dubbed as one of the greatest FIFA World Cup finals in its history and with good reason. The two sides went toe-to-toe as Mbappe and Messi tried to outdo each other. The France international scored a hat-trick in the final, but it wasn’t enough for his side to be crowned World Cup champions for a third time.

Mbappe’s second goal of the night, and one that sent the final into extra time, was a thing of beauty. France won possession of the ball near the halfway line, and Mbappe played a neat one-two on the edge of Argentina’s area, before volleying the ball into the bottom corner with Emiliano Martinez unable to do anything about it in Argentina’s goal. Mbappe became only the second-ever player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final after Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966, who coincidentally also scored two penalties in the final.