Kylian Mbappe continued to make a strong case to be among the greatest players in World Cup history after becoming the all-time leading scorer on world football’s biggest stage.

The Frenchman has now scored 22 times since his debut in the 2018 tournament. While his country fell just short this summer, Mbappe was one of the best players at the World Cup.

But who does the 27-year-old rate as the best player to ever perform on the World Cup stage? Well, he ranked one man above his old Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Lionel Messi, when presented with six players to choose from.

Kylian Mbappe Ranks Himself Among World Cup Greats

REUTERS/Carl Recine

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, YouTuber Fiago asked Mbappe to blind rank six World Cup legends from best to worst. While he initially didn’t know which names he’d be presented with, the Real Madrid man did make his slight adjustments to give the list he was most happy with.

In sixth, he picked his compatriot, Michel Platini. Originally a place higher, Mbappe moved him down as his impact at the European Championship was greater. Ahead of him in fifth place, Mbappe selected himself, stating: “In the World Cup, I did more than Platini.”

Completing a trio of Frenchmen was Zinedine Zidane. One of the greatest midfielders in football history, Zizou was instrumental in his country’s 1998 triumph, scoring twice against Brazil in the final.

Diego Maradona claimed third place in Mbappe’s rankings. Star of the 1986 World Cup, the Argentine is among the game’s greatest-ever players, never mind just on the biggest international stage. He’ll forever be one of the most iconic World Cup players due to his world-class goals and performances, but also the chaos and controversy that followed the one-time champion around.

The top two would be incredibly close in a lot of people’s minds. However, Mbappe didn’t even hesitate in placing the only man to win the competition three times, Pele, above Messi.

The latter was the key man as Argentina added a third star in 2022, and he is now only one goal behind Mbappe in the all-time goalscoring standings after appearing in six World Cups.

Pele, however, is Mbappe’s undisputed number one. He is Brazil’s best player ever and the youngest World Cup winner ever, claiming his first at 17 years and 249 days before adding another two during his incredible career.

Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 23-07-26.

Cristian Romero’s time as a Tottenham player is “100 per cent” expected to come to an end this summer.

Amid much speculation about his future, the Spurs skipper looks on course to bid farewell and secure a move elsewhere prior to the summer transfer deadline.

Tottenham have already strengthened in defence for Roberto De Zerbi ahead of the 2026/27 season, thus raising question marks over Romero’s long-term future in the process.

Spending £52m on the addition of Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton & Hove Albion, the club have also secured Marcos Senesi on a free transfer from Bournemouth.

The pair join Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Ben Davies as centre-back options, with Kota Takai and Ashley Phillips also available to the boss as things stand right now.

Romero is now expected to leave as part of the defensive reshuffle and a return to Serie A could be on the cards.

Romero’s next destination

via Reuters

Inter Milan are set to meet with Romero’s agent this week to discuss a move to the Italian giants, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking on a live stream on X, the transfer expert went into depth about the Argentina international’s Tottenham future, why he will 100 per cent leave and what comes next for him.

“So, for Cuti Romero, the expectation for me is 100 per cent for him to leave Tottenham,” stated Romano. “Tottenham have been very clear with Cuti, with his camp and Cuti has been very clear with Tottenham. So that’s a mutual decision for Cuti Romero. It’s time to move on. It’s time to go.

“Also because Tottenham have Micky van de Ven who is not leaving. There were reports on Liverpool, reports on Barcelona, but nothing is going to happen because Van de Ven is absolutely untouchable for Roberto De Zerbi.

“Then there is Marcos Senesi, new signing, Van Hecke, new signing. Danso he’s staying, so Tottenham will not include Cuti Romero as part of their squad for the upcoming season.

“Inter are there. Inter will try. My understanding, the news I broke in the morning, is that Inter will meet the agent of Cuti Romero this week. So there will be a meeting between Inter and Cuti Romero to try and understand if they can reach an agreement on personal terms.”

What next for Tottenham in defence?

Tottenham look set in defence for the new season due to their quick moves in the transfer market, thus paving the way for Romero to move on.

Van de Ven and Van Hecke will be expected to be the first choice centre-back pairing, with Senesi and Danso acting as cover for the Dutch duo.

Long-serving defender Davies remains at the club and is a centre-back option as well as a choice at left-back, while Archie Gray can also play there if there is a real shortage in the position.

Tottenham will need to decide on what is best for Takai and Phillips going into the new campaign, with the latter linked with a permanent transfer to Middlesbrough after Championship loan spells in each of the past three seasons.

Aston Villa are reportedly ready to make a move to sign an Everton star in the summer transfer window.

It wouldn’t be the first time in recent years that Everton and Aston Villa have dealt with each other in the transfer market.

Everton recently signed Tim Iroegbunam from the Midlands club in a deal which saw Lewis Dobbin go the other way.

We’ve also seen Amadou Onana and Lucas Digne make the move from Everton to Aston Villa in recent years.

Aston Villa are preparing for a season in the Champions League, so they’ll be looking to build a deeper squad for Unai Emery.

Strengthening in midfield could be Aston Villa’s priority, with Onana suffering a serious knee injury and Youri Tielemans leaving the club.

Aston Villa plotting Everton raid

According to a report from journalist Pete O’Rourke, Aston Villa are ready to rekindle their interest in Everton midfielder James Garner in the summer transfer window.

It’s claimed that the Midlands club are weighing up a move to secure his signature, and they are long-term admirers of the English midfielder after making an approach for him in January.

It’s certainly not going to be easy for Villa to convince Everton to part ways with the midfielder, as Garner was arguably their best player during the 25/26 season.

Aston Villa need one more midfielder

The injury to Onana is a crucial blow for Villa, especially after losing Tielemans to Manchester United, who activated his release clause.

The Midlands club did bring in Joao Gomes from Wolves, but there’s no doubt they need to bring in at least one more.

They have also signed Johan Manzambi from Freiburg, with a deal officially announced, but he’s more likely to play a little further forward as a number 10 or out wide.

Garner could be that missing piece, although it certainly won’t be a cheap deal for them to get over the line, especially as Everton know that Villa have just received a huge fee for Morgan Rogers from Chelsea