Kylian Mbappe's rapid rise to the top of world football
Marco Iacobucci EPP / Shutterstock.com
Kylian Mbappe had recorded just 14 caps for France before the World Cup. Yet, he has been Les Bleus most important player during the tournament. The Paris Saint-Germain forward has record three goals in five matches, and Transfermarkt.co.uk has ranked Mbappe as the sixth most important player at the World Cup.
The 19-year-old may not only lift the World Cup trophy this summer, but he may take home the FIFA Best Young Player award as his rapid rise continues.
Mbappe started his professional career just three seasons ago. The French teenager debuted for Monaco in December 2015. Stepping on to the pitch, Mbappe became Monaco's youngest ever player at 16 years and 347 days. Despite being young and inexperienced at the senior level, Mbappe didn't play like it.
The youngster only featured in 10 more Ligue 1 matches for Monaco following his debut. He collected just 289 minutes for the French side and scored one goal. His sophomore season proved far more fruitful. His rookie year whet appetites, but few expected the teen to play as well as he did in his first full Monaco season. Mbappe played 29 times collecting 15 goals and 11 assists as Monaco stormed their way to the Ligue 1 title.
If Mbappe was still a secret for much of the 2016-17 season, then his performance against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarterfinals let the cat out of the bag. Monaco's destruction of the Germans in the second leg was highlighted by Mbappe scoring in his fourth consecutive Champions League knockout match.
Mbappe's play and potential influenced PSG to pay £162 million for his signature. The teen was another pricey player to come off of the Monaco conveyor belt. While some have failed to carry over their form after leaving Monaco, Mbappe kept it going. Although not the focal point of PSG's attack due to Neymar and Edinson Cavani, Mbappe still collected 13 goals and eight assists in 27 Ligue 1 matches. The teen collected another league winner's medal as PSG romped to the title.
His rise to the top of the game has been rapid and few teens have been able to continue the trajectory Mbappe has travelled. Belgium star forward Eden Hazard has stated Mbappe deserves the Ballon d'Or already. While it seems a bit premature with the seasons that Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah have had recently, it cannot be denied the French forward is a future Ballon d'Or winner.
Mbappe could take a big step towards winning his first Ballon d'Or by winning the World Cup semifinal against Belgium. Twenty years after a diverse French team won the World Cup, Mbappe and his teammates could seal the country's second World Cup trophy. Just two wins away from the trophy, Mbappe could top off a magical year before he turns 20-years old in December.
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