France captain Kylian Mbappe was prouder of his team's achievement than his own personal milestone as Didier Deschamps' side ran riot in a record 14-0 win over Gibraltar on Saturday.
Mbappe's hat-trick in Nice saw him become the youngest player to reach 300 goals in Europe's top five leagues and international games combined, at age 24 years, 10 months and 29 days.On a night when he captained his side to an historic win, the biggest ever victory in a European qualifier and France's biggest ever win, Mbappe was keen to focus on the team's achievement."We need to highlight the collective victory," Mbappe said. "There have been a lot of talented France teams, to beat this record for the biggest win is something special.
A team best is much more valuable than a personal best."The 300 goals scored in my career is a new milestone for me but it takes a back seat because the team put in an extraordinary performance today."Lionel Messi hit his 300th goal at age 25 years, four months and three days, but his former team mate at Paris St Germain knows he still has a long way to go to reach the career numbers of both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo."Some players scored 800, others 850, 300 next to it, it's ridiculous!
It's a step for me and I want to continue to be decisive for my national team and my club," Mbappe said.Goal number 300 was worthy of the milestone.