France's PSG superstar Kylian Mbappé fired an historic hat-trick to keep Les Bleus in the World Cup final against Argentina - and claim the Golden Boot - but it wasn't enough to clinch back-to-back trophies as Lionel Messi & co. won 4-2 on penalties (3-3).
He may not have lifted football's biggest prize for a second time, but Kylian Mbappé managed to etch his name onto another couple of records as he hit two penalties (80', 118') on either side of a stunning volley (81') to twice bring France from behind and back into what may are calling the greatest World Cup final in history.
Record after record
He also converted France's first penalty of the shoot-out - his third of the game! - but he had at that point already clinched the Golden Boot, the award for the tournament's top scorer (eight goals) - level with record holder Ronaldo (the real one!) for goals in a single tournament. That took him level with Lionel Messi and Pele on 12 in total (following his four-goal haul in Russia in 2018) and just four shy of all-time leader Miroslav Klose of Germany (16).
And the Paris Saint-Germain man had also already become the first man to equal Geoff Hurst's 60-year-old record of scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup final, and now tops the all-time list for goals in finals, with four.
France fans know that the Boy from Bondy - who turns 24 on Tuesday - could well have another three World Cups at which to thrill fans and rack up yet more records in his quest to be in the same conversation as club-mate Messi. Bring it on!
Congratulations, Kylian!
