José Mourinho on Kylian Mbappé finishing as the top scorer in every major competition and league he has played in: “People always try to complicate football. For me, it’s very simple. Every player has a role. Some defend, some make tackles, some control the midfield, and some create chances. Kylian Mbappé’s job is to score goals—and nobody in world football does that better than him.
“People criticise strikers when they don’t defend enough, but that’s not why they’re on the pitch. You don’t judge a goalkeeper by how many goals he scores, and you don’t judge one of the greatest forwards in the world by how many tackles he makes. You judge him by what he produces in front of goal.
“Look at the numbers. In Ligue 1, he finished as the highest goalscorer year after year. He moved to La Liga and became the highest goalscorer there as well. In the Champions League, he keeps finishing among the top scorers. Now he’s done it again on the biggest stage in football, finishing as the World Cup’s leading scorer.
“When you finish above players like Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Cristiano Ronaldo in a competition of that level, it tells you everything about your consistency and your mentality.
“The greatest goalscorers are obsessed with putting the ball in the net. They don’t need five chances—they only need one. Mbappé has that instinct that cannot be coached. It’s a gift.
“For years people have searched for the next great goalscorer. I don’t think they’re searching anymore. Mbappé has shown it in every league, every competition and on every stage. His responsibility is to score goals, and he keeps delivering at a level that very few players in football history have ever reached.
“When your biggest responsibility is to decide matches, and you keep doing it season after season, there is nothing more to prove. That’s why Kylian Mbappé is one of the most complete and feared forwards of this generation.”