Mbappe admits he's far inferior to Ronaldo and Messi.

French striker Kylian Mbappe admitted he still has a long way to go to catch up with the goalscoring records of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, after scoring a hat-trick against Gibraltar and reaching the milestone of 300 goals.

Mbappe's hat-trick against Gibraltar in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on November 18th made him the youngest player to reach 300 career goals at just 24 years, 10 months, and 29 days old. Lionel Messi reached this milestone at 25 years, 4 months, and 3 days old, while Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th goal at the age of 27. Currently, Ronaldo has 859 goals, including 731 at club level and 128 at international level, while Messi has 721 at club level and 106 at international level.

"Some players have scored 800, even 850 goals in their careers. Putting someone who has scored 300 goals alongside such milestones is ridiculous," Mbappe told Téléfoot after the win against Gibraltar. "This is a step forward for me, and I want to continue to play a decisive role for the national team and my club."

Mbappe celebrates a goal during France's 14-0 victory over Gibraltar at the Riviera Stadium in Nice in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on November 18. Photo: AFP

On the day Mbappe made history, France also set a record for the biggest win in history by crushing Gibraltar 14-0. This was also the largest margin of victory in Euro qualifying history, breaking the record set by Germany's 13-0 win over San Marino in 2006.

Mbappe said the entire team aimed to break the record for the biggest win in French football history, so they played seriously for the full 90 minutes. The 24-year-old striker is more proud of the team's achievements than reaching the 300-goal mark. "We need to highlight the collective victory," he expressed. "There have been many generations of talented French national teams, so setting a record for the biggest win is something special. Team excellence is worth far more than the best individual achievement."

Mbappe completed his hat-trick and reached the milestone of 300 goals with a spectacular strike in the 82nd minute. He received the ball from Youssouf Fofana and chipped it over the Gibraltar goalkeeper from 40 meters. The French captain revealed that he had been observing the Gibraltar goalkeeper's position for about 20-25 minutes beforehand. "I saw him positioned quite high up the pitch and I didn't understand why," Mbappe recounted. "Then scoring was just instinct. When I received the ball from Fofana, I knew immediately that I would shoot. Today, the ball went in; maybe at another time it wouldn't."

Not only did Mbappe score a hat-trick, but he also contributed three assists, setting up goals for Jonathan Clauss, Youssouf Fofana, and Kingsley Coman. "The captain's armband forces you to change; if you don't want to change, you're not qualified to be captain," the 24-year-old striker said. "When I wasn't captain, I had a more personal perspective on individual achievements. Now that I'm captain, I have to think about my teammates first."

Mbappe admitted that he had to change and develop his playing style over time, citing the example of Messi's performance at PSG compared to his time at Barca. "Football changes over time. If you don't change, football will move on to something else and you will be forgotten," the French captain emphasized.

Hong Duy

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