Mbappé scored, but Doué was the proof: France's arsenal is so deep; Olise, still zero in the goal
Kylian Mbappé netted the goal for France and was level with Lionel Messi at the top of the World Cup 2026 scorers list, but Desiré Doué was the real game-changer against Paraguay. Michael Olise, still without a goal in the tournament.
In the end, Kylian Mbappé's name is on the record: cool on the spot and once again adding to his impressive numbers at the World Cup, he equals Lionel Messi as the tournament's top scorer. The Real Madrid star finished a personally tense match with confidence from 11 meters.
However, it is clear that a big part of France's win against Paraguay must go to Desiré Doué. It was he who cut the nerve of the game—one of the many other stars of Paris Saint‑Germain—with a résumé of two-time Champions League champions and an estimated market value of more than €100 million. And yet, he's still an option in the national team: in five games, he's only started twice. When called upon, he contributes—like his goal against Norway and the penalty he won in Philadelphia.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://tmw-storage-auto.tcccdn.com/storage/tuttomercatoweb.com/img_notizie/thumb3/1b/1b2d3b9c9ee2fc79409eba6d183c73d3-91012-oooz0000.jpeg" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>This is yet another proof that Les Bleus' potential is almost limitless. There are people like Marcus Thuram, Rayan Cherki, and Maghnes Akliouche who often don't even get on stage.
And on the goals list, there is one more name that doesn't make the mark: Michael Olise. He remains scoreless in the tournament in America—though he already has five assists.
