FIFA World Cup: Kylian Mbappe leapfrogs the great Pele, equals Lionel Messi record

Kylian Mbappe is now the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cups below the age of 24, surpassing the great Pele (8 goals) who held the record for so long.

When France's Kylian Mbappe arrowed a powerful shot past the hapless Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny, he became the youngest player, at 23 years and 349 days, to reach five World Cup knockout goals since the great Pele did so in 1958, when the Brazilian was just 17 years and 249 days.

His double strike against Poland last night took his tally to 5 goals in this tournament and 9 goals overall in FIFA World Cups. Already a World cup winner with France in 2018, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar is no stranger to breaking records.

He is now the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cups below the age of 24, surpassing the great Pele (8 goals) who held the record for so long. Mbappe has already broken a Pele record earlier when he scored in the 2018 final against Croatia, becoming the youngest player to do so since Pele in 1958. The French star also has as many goals as Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona in FIFA World Cups and one more than Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

At 24, he still has at least two more FIFA World Cup editions left to play and is only 7 goals behind Germany's Miroslav Klose, who is the current record holder for most World Cup goals with 16 to his name.

Kylian Mbappe can add to the tally when France meets England in the quarterfinal clash on Saturday and his team will start as the favourite despite England being a formidable foe.