France's 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup is not only remembered for the dominant scoreline or Kylian Mbappe 's brace. One of the highlights of the match came in the 85th minute, when coach Didier Deschamps decided to substitute the French captain, replacing him with Jean-Philippe Mateta.
As Mbappe approached the technical area, coach Deschamps didn't just shake his hand or pat him on the shoulder as usual. The veteran coach bowed his head before his pupil, as a way of expressing his admiration for the outstanding performance of the Real Madrid star.
In top-level football, it's not easy for a coach who has won the World Cup and led generations of stars to express such clear admiration. But Mbappe deserved it. He scored two goals, constantly disrupted the Swedish defense, and showed the qualities of a true leader.
Deschamps' bow wasn't just praise for his favorite pupil after a great performance. It was also a recognition of Mbappe's years of carrying the expectations of the French national team, from a young talent to the greatest icon of Les Bleus.
With this brace, Mbappe also equaled Lionel Messi's record of 6 goals at the 2026 World Cup. He is temporarily ranked number 1 thanks to 2 assists, while Messi has yet to register an assist. On the World Cup history leaderboard, Mbappe now has 18 goals, just one goal behind Messi.
Watch the video of Mbappe's brace against Sweden (source: VTV):