​Already one of the biggest stars in world football ahead of this summer’s World Cup, France forward and captain Kylian Mbappé has further elevated his already towering status as he aims to steer Les Bleus to a third consecutive World Cup final. The Golden Boot winner in Qatar in 2022, Mbappé is in a position to finish as the tournament’s top scorer once more, tied for second with Norway’s Erling Haaland on seven goals, just one behind the current all-time World Cup goal record holder, Lionel Messi of Argentina. Mbappé trails Messi by two goals (21 to 19) on the all-time World Cup scoring chart, and at 27 years old, he appears to be in prime position to eventually surpass the widely regarded GOAT.
Mbappé added another goal to his tally in his last outing, converting a penalty in the 70th minute to seal a tense 1-0 Round of 16 victory on Saturday, July 4, over a stubborn Paraguay side that had themselves knocked out Germany at Boston’s Gillette Stadium in the Round of 32. With the win, France returns to Foxborough for a second appearance of the tournament (and a third time this year) to face Morocco at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 9, in a quarterfinal clash. Les Bleus have also been based in Boston this summer, lodging in the city while training at Bentley University in Waltham.
While Mbappé’s joy on the field is evident, the Real Madrid forward found himself at the center of a controversy off the pitch, subjected to racial abuse from Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla on Saturday, July 4. The incident elicited responses from Mbappé and politicians from both nations, as well as a spokesperson from the United Nations Human Rights office. Here is what you need to know about the situation.
Kylian Mbappé spoke to the media at a press conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, on March 25, 2026. Amarilla is a 61-year-old lawyer and journalist who has served as a Paraguayan senator since 2023, elected to a five-year term. She is affiliated with the Authentic Liberal Radical Party, which she helped found in 1982. Born on October 21, 1964, in San Juan Bautista, Amarilla attended the Collège de l’Immaculée Conception, a French-language primary and secondary school in Asunción, and earned her law degree from the Universidad del Norte in 2008.
Amarilla’s political career has been marked by controversy. In 2020, she was suspended for 60 days from the Chamber of Deputies after accusing 70 colleagues of buying their seats. In January, she drew headlines again by describing teachers who opposed Public Pension Fund reforms as “donkeys.”