For the better part of a decade, Kylian Mbappé seemed inevitable. He was already well-known in Europe by the time the 2018 World Cup rolled around, but he launched himself into the global stratosphere at that tournament, netting four goals, including two in a 4-3 Round of 16 thriller against Argentina and one in the final. He then one-upped himself in the 2022 tournament, scoring eight goals, including the first hat trick in the final since Geoff Hurst in 1966. After just two tournaments, Mbappé is already tied for sixth on the all-time World Cup goals list.

But while Mbappé has been the face of French football for most of his career, he wasn’t the first of his generation to win a Ballon d’Or. Instead, that honor went to the man who briefly played alongside him and eventually replaced him at Paris Saint-Germain: Ousmane Dembélé. Dembélé slotted home 33 goals for a treble-winning PSG side in 2024-25, and he has 19 so far this season as Les Parisiens are back in the Champions League final. Dembélé has arguably been the more accomplished player at the club level, though unlike Mbappé, he’s never scored at either the World Cup or the Euros.

Surely, Mbappé and Dembélé won’t care which of the two scores more during the World Cup, but for the casual viewer, it’s worthwhile to analyze which of the two (or a dark horse) ultimately ends up leading France in goals throughout the tournament. Below, I’ve broken down the odds for Les Blues’ top scorer at DraftKings Sportsbook.

France Top Goalscorer Odds

Kylian Mbappé (-115)
Ousmane Dembélé (+300)
Michael Olise (+550)
Jean-Philippe Mateta (+700)
Marcus Thuram (+1200)
Desiré Doué (+1200)
Bradley Barcola (+1200)
Mathis Rayan Cherki (+1400)
Christopher Nkunku (+1400)
Randal Kolo Muani (+1600)
Kingsley Coman (+1600)
Adrien Rabiot (+2500)
Theo Hernandez (+5000)
N’Golo Kante (+5000)
Malo Gusto (+5000)
Eduardo Camavinga (+5000)
Aurelien Tchouameni (+5000)
No France Goalscorer (+10000)

Who will be France’s leading goalscorer? Pick, best bet

The most recent major tournament in which Mbappé and Dembélé featured together was the Euros in 2024, and in that tournament, Mbappé scored just once, on a penalty, while Dembélé didn’t score. Both players featured in five of France’s six matches, though Mbappé started as the lone striker thrice and Dembélé played solely on the wing. That tournament came before Dembélé’s true breakout; in the prior season, he’d had three goals and eight assists while serving mostly as Mbappé’s reserve with PSG. Still, even though he serves as the primary striker with Les Parisiens, he’s appeared only on the wing in both of his appearances with Les Bleus this season. Didier Deschamps has been known to throw out a 3-4-1-2 at times in the past, so with arguably his two best players both playing striker, it’s possible that he could turn to that formation more frequently during the World Cup, which would give Dembélé more opportunities in front of the net.

Unfortunately for Dembélé, a 4-1-4-1 probably fits France’s current roster better. Les Bleus are extremely deep on the wings, boasting Dembélé and several young talents like Michael Olise, Desiré Doué, and Bradley Barcola, while their striker depth took a hit when Antoine Griezmann retired from international duty and youngster Hugo Ekitiké tore his Achilles tendon on club duty with Liverpool. In that case, it would make the most sense for Deschamps to start Mbappé up front and two of Olise, Dembéle, and Doué on the wings. Mbappé is slightly more clinical in front of net, leading the Champions League in goals, expected goals, and shots on target per 90 minutes and Dembélé the better passer. Real Madrid’s main man is also the better penalty-taker, so he’d likely be the first man up in any spot-kick situation that France might create. Plus, the fullbacks in Les Blues’ group are arguably stronger than the central defenders: Senegal’s best defender El Hadji Malick Diouf is a left-back, and while Norway’s better fullback plays on the right, its best defensive midfielder Sander Berge plays on the left in the 4-5-1 that Ståle Solbakken rolls out against stronger attacking teams. Both players will challenge all of their opponents, but Mbappé is more likely to lead the team in goals in the end.

The Pick: Kylian Mbappé (-115)