Club matters have been pushed to the back of Mbappe’s mind for now. He is, while working through pre-tournament friendlies, ready to open another quest for World Cup glory – having claimed that title as a teenager in 2018 and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final before coming unstuck against Lionel Messi and Argentina in a penalty shootout.
France are expected to go well again on North American soil, with their talismanic captain quite literally leading from the front. If Les Bleus go close to the ultimate prize again, then their skipper should fill his boots on the goal front.
He claimed Golden Boot honours in Qatar and will be looking to go back-to-back on that front, making history in the process as the first man to land that award on two occasions. There will, however, be fierce competition in the leading marksman stakes.
Pressed on whether Mbappe can beat England striker Harry Kane – another past Golden Boot winner – to a prestigious individual accolade, Saha said: “Oh, that’s a difficult one. I think that Kylian is always the main guy in that kind of thing, because he can score his own goals, and can score three goals in the World Cup final without any invitation.
“So, to be honest, I do think that Kylian is still the main man. Harry Kane still needs this kind of number 10 behind him to provide those kind of goals or that kind of creativity. Sometimes I’m not so sure about England in tournaments, but you are talking about someone who can score 60 goals a season.
“But in a tournament like the World Cup, it’s going to be a very strange format, very long, a lot of travelling. I think that Kylian, for that kind of format, is very suited for that, and he will win the Golden Boot.”
