Mbappe equals Henry’s goal tally but still sees ‘room for improvement’

Kylian Mbappe equalled legend Thierry Henry in France's all-time goalscoring chart, netting his 51st international goal as Les Bleus opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Poland on Friday.

Mbappe's 82nd-minute strike, set up by his Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni at the end of a rapid counterattack, lifted the forward level with Henry in second place on France's scoring list behind Olivier Giroud.

Despite matching Henry's tally, Mbappe made it clear he wants more.

"We could have scored more. I, myself, missed a few chances, so there is room for improvement. But it's a good, solid start," Mbappe said after the match, in which Michael Olise had given France an early lead.

Coach Didier Deschamps echoed his captain's thoughts.

"We mastered the first half and could have scored another. Then we struggled briefly, but we have so much attacking quality. We had a lot to lose, so it's good to start this campaign with a win," Deschamps said.

Mbappe had already surpassed Henry to reach 50 goals in record time for France when he scored in his 90th cap for the national side during their Nations League third-place playoff victory over Germany in June.

Henry previously held the record as the fastest to 50 goals for France, reaching the milestone in his 113th appearance against Serbia in September 2009. Giroud reached the landmark on his 115th appearance, when he scored twice in a 4-1 win over Australia at the 2022 World Cup.

Mbappe, now level with Henry, will be eyeing Giroud's record next. The veteran striker currently tops the all-time chart with 57 goals from 137 appearances -- the joint third-highest caps in French history. Henry, meanwhile, scored 51 goals in 123 matches between 1997 and 2010.