Kylian Mbappe’s Chase of Lionel Messi’s World Cup Records Has Familiar Parallel
Kylian Mbappe’s Chase of Lionel Messi’s World Cup Records Has Familiar Parallel
Two of the greatest to ever play the sport, endless records waiting to change hands. The young lion challenging the bar set by an elder statesman, much like Tiger Woods did with Jack Nicklaus. Bryan Fischer|
We should not be surprised that the stars have come out to play at this year’s World Cup.
The biggest, most expansive, most watched and most well attended tournament in recent memory was a natural to play host to some grand performances by the sport’s biggest names, but the past two weeks in North America have exceeded expectations of even the most optimistic supporter of the beautiful game several times over. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that the Golden Boot chase this year is not, despite the presence of some of the familiar figures atop it, simply a Ballon d’Or shortlist. That’s how good things have been.
As the group stage winds down and the knockouts arrive in earnest to signal the start of the real tournament though, there is an interesting storyline which is starting to bubble up.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi seems to keep making history every time he steps on to the pitch and memorably became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 18 goals—and counting—during his second appearance with a brace against Austria. Given that the reigning champions look to be a good bet to keep playing for several more rounds as part of a favorable path forward, it’s important to emphasize that he’s more than capable of extending the bar well past previous record-holder Miroslav Klose’s mark.
For all of Messi’s deserved brilliance at the same time he celebrates his 39th birthday, such an accomplishment would normally put him in the type of territory where you would say he’s going to hold onto the top spot for years to come. The nature of all-time records is that they have a bit of semi-permanence to them, becoming enshrined as some sort of reference point that gets brought up tournament after tournament.
Except in this case, you do have to wonder if the baton will be passed twice in two months.
France’s talisman Kylian Mbappé is nipping at Messi’s heels, with 16 goals in 16 games at the World Cup to pull level with old record-holder Klose. At just 27 years old, he looks like he’ll have plenty more chances to equal or surpass the Argentine on the leaderboard—perhaps as soon as next month if he can help guide Les Bleus to the final in New Jersey.
This chase between two all-time greats, from nominally different eras but who are still overlapping still at the World Cup, is reminiscent of one from another sport.
Tiger Woods pursuit of Jack Nicklaus.
Messi is of course the elder statesman and the one who has laid down the mile-marker for all to follow. He’s collected career trophies like some collect beads during Mardi Gras. His reputation as one of the greatest to ever do it, if not the greatest, is near universal. He dazzles between the lines in ways that get the casual fans excited for even the mere thought that he is about to shoot on goal.
Plus, much like Nicklaus, he frequently had to deal with comparisons with accomplished elders that took on plenty of mythologizing—countryman Diego Maradona in Messi’s case, Ben Hogan for Nicklaus—and massive rivalries with peers of the same age that helped elevate the sport at large. Messi’s career has been largely twinned with Cristiano Ronaldo after all as a natural foil from their battles on opposite sides of El Clasico after all, while golf would not be what it is today if it were not for the Golden Bear going head-to-head with Arnold Palmer for a few decades.
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Mbappe channels Woods in that he was heralded as a youngster long before taking the world by storm and equally might be able to lay claim to an incredible run in a short period of time. Though the Frenchman has not yet completed soccer like Woods did around the turn of the century with his aptly-named Tiger Slam, due to a lack of a Champions League trophy, he is well positioned to make an unfathomable three World Cup finals in a row (and very nearly went back-to-back in Qatar four years ago). There’s also something unique about his rise as a cultural phenomenon in this era of social media that feels akin to the golf superstar becoming ubiquitous across 24/7 cable television and the booming video games industry a quarter century ago.
As much as one can hope that Mbappé’s career denouement comes nowhere close to what Woods went through on and off the course, the golfer does allow for another good parallel because merely assuming that a player is about to re-write all of the records is an exercise that should be done with caution. It felt fait accompli that Tiger was going to pass Jack back in the day, but that never materialized in reality like we all but assumed.
Likewise, even with Mbappé’s current trajectory being stratospheric, one can’t quite write his name in ink above Messi’s until it comes to pass. There’s always the spectre of injury in a sport where the smallest of knocks results in weeks away from training and Mbappé has to deal with internal competition for touches from the wealth of French attacking options even beyond having opposing defenses orient much of their focus to him.
We can still get caught up in rapt attention with what we are watching during this year’s World Cup though, in much the same way that millions were transfixed upon seeing Woods’ dominance give rise to an impressive challenger for the title of greatest of all time. It’s always a joy to witness history in real time and, thankfully for a tournament which has been billed highly for its largess coming in, that’s exactly what we’re seeing transpire between two players who are following a pretty familiar script on this side of the Atlantic.
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Published 6 minutes ago | Modified 6 minutes ago
BRYAN FISCHERBryan Fischer is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college sports. He joined the SI staff in October 2024 after spending nearly two decades at outlets such as FOX Sports, NBC Sports and CBS Sports. A member of the Football Writers Association of America’s All-America Selection Committee and a Heisman Trophy voter, Fischer has received awards for investigative journalism from the Associated Press Sports Editors and FWAA. He has a bachelor’s in communication from USC.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
