Kylian Mbappé, the 24-year-old French forward, has already accomplished a lot in his young football career. He is a World Cup winner, having scored a hattrick in the final, and he also captains the French national team. On Saturday, Mbappé achieved yet another milestone by becoming Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer in Ligue 1.
Mbappé was the star of the show in a crucial 3-1 victory against second-placed Lens. The Frenchman scored the opening goal for his 139th league goal for the club, overtaking Edison Cavani’s record of 138 goals in Ligue 1 for PSG. Mbappé achieved this feat in just 169 Ligue 1 games, while it took Cavani 200 league games to reach his tally.
Mbappé also set up Lionel Messi with a brilliant assist for PSG’s second goal, which came just three minutes after Vitinha put PSG 2-0 up. Despite Lens pulling one back through Ignatius Ganago, PSG held on for the win and now have a nine-point lead over their title rivals, making it likely that PSG will win their 11th Ligue 1 title.
The victory against Lens was especially important for PSG as they had been going through an indifferent period, losing two consecutive home games to give their title rivals hope. The PSG coach, Christophe Galtier, acknowledged the importance of the win, telling PSG TV after the match that “if there was a match we had to win, it was this one, after the two straight losses at the Parc. Lens are one of our rivals and obviously it was important to win.”
However, Galtier also warned his team not to be complacent with seven games left in the season. He emphasized the need for focus and determination, saying, “our fixture list looks favorable, but it is only favorable if we invest ourselves fully and show a great determination to win.”
PSG’s next game is against Angers at the Stade Raymond-Kopa on April 21, and Mbappé will be looking to add to his goal tally as PSG close in on another Ligue 1 title.