Kylian Mbappé is undeniably one of the biggest generational talents in modern-day football. At just 24 years old, he has already become the biggest superstar for his club and country. Currently, he is enjoying a phenomenal career not only at the club level but also with the French national team.
The French superstar has drawn inspiration from none other than the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. Mbappe rose through the youth set-up of AS Monaco into their first team and instantly became a sensation in his debut season in 2017. In the very next season, he made a high-profile move to the French giants Paris Saint-Germain, solidifying his status as one of the most promising talents in world football.
Kylian Mbappe is out to forge his legacy
Mbappé has shone on the world’s biggest stages, notably winning the 2018 World Cup and even scoring in the final. He led France to two consecutive World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022. The Frenchman is well on his way to surpassing the legacy of his idol. In the Qatar World Cup, Mbappé was the tournament’s highest goal-scorer with 8 goals to his name.
In his entire club career, the forward has scored 169 goals and provided 67 assists in 220 appearances for AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappé has also been awarded the French League Player of the Year five times consecutively and has won six league titles.
The French international has played in 71 matches for the national team, managing to score 40 goals and provide 25 assists. He has been named the French Player of the Year thrice and is already considered one of the best players in the history of France. He was also recently handed the role of captaining the France National Team.
Despite the decade-long dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he is the only player who has come close to their level. Kylian Mbappé shared the pitch with the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, yet he outshone both of them at PSG in terms of goalscoring. He even aspires to build up his own legacy. According to Apexfootball, Mbappe once said that he believes himself to be better than both Messi and Ronaldo in order to improve his game.
“Every time I go on a pitch I always tell myself that I’m the best and yet I have played on grounds where there was Messi and Cristiano (Ronaldo). They are better players than me, they have does a billion more things than me. But in my head I always tell myself that I’m the best because that way you don’t give yourself limits and you try to give your best,” Mbappe told RMC Sport.
Ronaldo was the player Mbappe grew up admiring
It is no secret that Kylian Mbappé grew up idolizing the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. On numerous occasions, he has openly declared himself a massive Ronaldo fanboy and has recognized Ronaldo as his footballing idol. From admiring him to sharing the field as opponents, the French star has certainly come a long way.
Idol 👑🐐… @Cristiano pic.twitter.com/uZGEXnhuUB
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) October 11, 2020
When he was younger, Mbappé was a Real Madrid fan and loved watching videos of Ronaldo on the Internet. His other sources of inspiration include Zinedine Zidane and his former teammate Neymar. However, Cristiano has always been at the top of his list of inspirations.
Now that the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era has come to an end, how many Ballon d’Ors do you think Mbappe will win? Share your take in the comments.
