
Leonidas, Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe share the record for the most knockout-phase goals in World Cup history: eight. In the pre-group stage days, Leonidas scored Brazil’s only goal in a defeat to Spain in the first round in 1934, and struck seven times in 4 games four years later as the Seleção finished third.
His compatriot Ronaldo registered three goals in four games in the knockout phase of France 1998, four in four at Korea/Japan 2002 – including a title-winning double in the final – and one in two at Germany 2006. Mbappe has netted eight goals in eight knockout-phase appearances for France across Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, including a hat-trick against Argentina in the latter’s final.
Players with most World Cup knockout-phase goals Ronaldo’s resurrection