Kylian’s confidence comes with a healthy dose of selfishness—and that’s not a knock. Strikers have to be the most selfish players on the pitch.
He showed it with his very first World Cup goal, against Peru in Yekaterinburg in our second group match at Russia 2018.
I didn’t start our opener against Australia because I’d been cut in a friendly with the United States a week earlier—nine stitches in my forehead. It was serious enough that I nearly missed the tournament.
Didier Deschamps initially tried Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, and Mbappé up front, but it didn’t quite click. He made changes, I came on, and set up Paul Pogba’s winner via a deflection.
That got me the nod against Peru, and I was desperate to score. Paul sent me through; my shot was blocked, looped over the keeper, and was about to bounce in—then Kylian tapped it over the line.
People asked if I was upset he “stole” my goal. My answer then is the same now: absolutely not. I’d have done exactly the same—any striker would.
Eight years on, after his two goals against Senegal on Tuesday, Kylian sits on 14 World Cup goals, just two behind Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi at the top of the all-time list.
At 27, he’s got at least one more World Cup ahead of him, so he’s going to break that record—assuming Messi ever stops playing!
I hope Kylian clears every record in front of him, and he has time to do it. Next up for France could be the caps record—he’s on 99, with Hugo Lloris holding 145—because Kylian is a special player who deserves it.
Thinking back to our time together makes me smile. Since he joined the national team in 2017, we shared so many great moments.
We understood each other well. His one‑on‑one pace is devastating, but you need support for one‑twos. I was the target man, and we played to each other’s strengths.
In this France side, you can see a similar connection with Michael Olise—look at our first goal against Senegal. There’s plenty more to come in the next few weeks, and I can’t wait to watch it.
Olivier Giroud spoke to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.