FRANCE striker Kylian Mbappe described matching Thierry Henry’s international goal tally as an honour while emphasising team success over personal records.
The 26-year-old forward netted his 51st goal for Les Bleus during Friday’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory against Ukraine at Wroclaw Stadium.
Mbappe’s 82nd-minute strike, created by Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, moved him level with Henry as France’s second-highest scorer behind Olivier Giroud.
“Big up to Titi (Henry)! But now I want to surpass him! It’s an honour to equal a player like Henry,“ Mbappe told TF1 after the match.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar acknowledged Henry’s significance to French football and particularly to developing strikers.
“Everyone knows what he means to us French people, even more so to strikers,“ he added.
Mbappe expressed amazement at reaching the milestone so early in his career but stressed his primary focus remains collective achievement.
“Reaching this milestone so early is crazy, but I like it,“ he stated.
“I want to keep going and, above all, win games and titles.”
The France captain now sits just six goals behind Giroud’s all-time record of 57 international strikes.
Giroud concluded his international career following France’s semi-final exit at Euro 2024 against eventual champions Spain.
Mbappe downplayed the significance of potentially breaking the record despite his rapid scoring rate.
“The record is getting closer, but it’s not something I think about,“ he revealed.
The 2018 World Cup winner suggested team objectives outweigh individual accomplishments in his priorities.
“I don’t know if it’s because I think I can beat it, or because I think there are more important things,“ Mbppe explained.
He nevertheless recognised the prestige associated with becoming France’s record goalscorer.
“But it’s true that being the top scorer in the history of the French national team is no small feat.”
France continue their World Cup qualifying campaign against Iceland at Parc des Princes on Tuesday. – Reuters