Kylian Mbappé vs. Erling Haaland: Sizing up the striker showdown when France faces Norway on Friday
When the World Cup schedule was finalized, the matchups set, and the venues for each decided, one game in Foxborough was quickly circled: Norway vs. France, June 26, 3 p.m.
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Sure, the overall quality in the game is probably the highest of any of the local games, with tournament favorite France taking on a very competitive Norway team.
But above all else, it’s the priciest game at Gillette Stadium because of a head-to-head matchup between two of soccer’s biggest stars, perhaps the two best goal scorers on the planet: France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland.
As far as strikers go, it’s a heavyweight matchup on tap Friday. Here’s the tale of the tape.
Kylian Mbappé, France
Club: Real Madrid (Spain)
Age: 27
Height/weight: 5 feet 10 inches, 165 pounds
Key stats: 42 goals in 44 games for Real Madrid this season; 60 goals in 100 appearances for France (national team record); 16 goals in 16 World Cup matches (second-most in World Cup history behind Lionel Messi)
In the blue corner, France’s Mbappé has become synonymous with the last couple of World Cups.
He burst onto the scene as a 19-year-old in 2018, becoming the first teenager since Pelé to score in a World Cup final as the French became world champions for a second time. France fell narrowly short of repeating in 2022, but only reached the penalty shootout in the final against Argentina thanks to an Mbappé hat trick.
Mbappé already has four goals in two games at this World Cup, striking twice each against Iraq and Senegal. At just 27 years old, he has 16 World Cup goals in 16 matches, just two behind Lionel Messi’s record of 18 (which the Argentine legend scored over the course of 28 games).
At club level, dressing room dramas and relative underperformance seem to follow Mbappé. He burned a few bridges on his way out of Paris Saint-Germain, which then won back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles as soon as he left.
His new club, Real Madrid, has disappointed with back-to-back trophyless seasons, despite Mbappé leading the Spanish La Liga in goals in both of those seasons. Manager Xabi Alonso was fired early in the season, and the locker room seemed to be melting down with player altercations late in the year.
But there seems to be no such trouble in the French camp. France has won both of its games rather comfortably, with Mbappé starring. He scored stunning goals against Senegal and Iraq, finding the back of the net with screamers from outside the box.
At his best, Mbappé is the most dangerous all-around attacker in the world: He’s a flashy dribbler, a lethal finisher, and might be the fastest player on every field he steps on.
Erling Haaland, Norway
Club: Manchester City (England)
Age: 25
Height/weight: 6 feet 5 inches, 205 pounds
Key stats: 38 goals in 52 games for Manchester City this season; 59 goals in 52 appearances for Norway (national team record); 16 goals in eight World Cup qualifying matches, four goals in two career World Cup games
In the red corner, Norway’s Haaland is all about one thing: goals.
Everywhere he’s gone, goals have followed. He’s scored 59 goals in 52 games for Norway and 162 goals in 198 appearances for his club, Manchester City. At previous clubs, it was much of the same: 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, 29 goals in 27 games for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.
So it was little surprise when he turned up at the World Cup, scored twice in his debut at the tournament against Iraq, then scored two more against Senegal.
It’s impossible to miss Haaland, the hulking, 6-5 Viking with the ponytail who runs like he’s hunting defenders for sport. It’s easy to understand why a couple of goalkeepers have panicked at his mere presence and gifted Haaland easy chances.
And there’s nothing more damaging you can do against Haaland than gift him easy chances. There may not be anyone better on the planet at finding the back of the net when given a chance, even if he batted away that suggestion after scoring twice against Iraq last week.
“I will say, I’m up there, I don’t think I scored the most goals this season, so statistically, no, I’m not [the best goal scorer],” he said. “I think Harry Kane and Mbappé scored more goals than me [this season], and that’s the reality.”
In a world where scoring 38 goals in 52 games (and winning his third Premier League golden boot in four years) qualifies as a down year, Haaland wasn’t at his very best for Manchester City this past season.
But he also tied a World Cup qualifying record with 16 goals in eight games, carrying his country back to the biggest stage convincingly.
Haaland isn’t as well-rounded an attacker as Mbappé. He isn’t a technical dribbler who can create chances on his own, and he needs a little help from his more creative teammates to set up an opportunity.
But he’s a monster in the open field, one of the most physically dominant athletes in the tournament, and as reliable a finisher as there is at this World Cup.
His goal-scoring instincts are second to none, and he always seems to find himself on the end of a cross or a rebound in the box.
Defenders can’t fall asleep with Haaland around; if they do, their next task is likely retrieving the ball from the back of their own net.
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