Kylian Mbappé: From Nothing to Everything

Picture the scene. Monaco are 2-1 up against Troyes in Ligue 1, and
on course for a comfortable victory against the side. Then, the young
Kylian Mbappé makes a run into the box while a winger dribbles the
ball out wide. It gets whipped in, the youngster adjusts himself and
fires it into the back of the net. This is the moment Mbappé
announced himself to the world, and how he became one of
football’s greatest young talents despite just 3 years as a
professional.
After becoming Monaco’s youngest appearance maker and goal-
scorer, dethroning the legendary Thierry Henry, the then 17-year-old
became a regular fixture in the ‘Red and White’s’ starting eleven,
with the 2016/17 season being a breakthrough year for Kylian.
Let’s just breakdown the statistics for that term; twenty-six goals;
eight assists; a Ligue 1 title; 2016/17 young player of the year;
European Golden Boy. As shown by all of the accolades, it’s clear to
see why Mbappé is highly regarded by everyone in the football
community.
The Champions League was also a massive success for the teenager.
With the help of teammates like Bernardo Silva, Fabinho and
Radamel ‘El Tigre’ Falcao, Monaco reached the semi-finals, a loss to
runners-up Juventus halting them on their quest for the trophy. The
squad saw off teams such as Manchester City and Borussia
Dortmund – Mbappé scoring in both the former and latter.
Since then, it’s only been up for the Frenchman. After a summer of
speculation and doubt, PSG signed Mbappé, even with Real Madrid
apparently putting in a bid, on loan, with the move to be made
permanent for £120,000,000. He bore the number 29 shirt for that
season, scoring on his debut in a 5-1 demolition against FC Metz. As
well as this, he became the youngest player to score 10 career
Champions League goals, scoring the 10th in a 3-1 loss to Bayern
Munich.
Mbappé’s international career has been the highlight of his playing
time. A call up to the French senior squad came in March and he
made his debut on the 25th of that month versus Luxembourg, and
eventually scored his first goal against the Netherlands in a World
Cup qualifying match.
Talking of the World Cup, Mbappé happens to have won it at the age
of nineteen, as you do! The teen netted one against Peru in a Group
C match, two past Argentina – also winning Man of the Match – and
a wondergoal versus Croatia in the final, the game ending 4-2.
It is definitely safe to say that Kylian Mbappé will be one of the
greatest players to grace planet Earth. However, will he ever surpass
Messi and Ronaldo? At the moment it looks hard to say no. With the
pace of Usain Bolt, the control of one-hundred Zinedine Zidane’s and
the finishing of Thierry Henry, the youngster has it all in order to
become the best.
Written by @bhafcupdates on Instagram