Kylian Mbappe has had a memorable tournament in Russia. Devoted football fans have known of his potential and capabilities for quite some time, but the World Cup has opened the door to a whole new audience, an audience which he mesmerized against Argentina and then left flabbergasted last night versus Belgium.
Kylian Mbappe’s back-heel pass
Mbappe attempted and succeeded in making a pass which would make even the football’s most flamboyant virtuosos proud. The skill, confidence, vision, perception, quickness and creativity necessary to perform such a move is ridiculous, even more so for a 19-year-old playing in his first World Cup (not even mentioning it was a semi-final). Unfortunately, Giroud didn’t react quick enough and his left-footed shot was subsequently blocked by Moussa Dembele.
Mbappe’s backheel was so outrageous people are talking about it more than France’s victory. Twitter is buzzing, as followers are in awe of what PSG’s wonderkid did.
Mbappe Golden Ball candidate
France only has one more game left to go. A good performance by Mbappe combined with a World Championship title could mean a Golden Ball (awarded to the tournament’s best player) for the youngster. A goal in the final would cement the award in his hands. If he were to win it, Kylian Mbappe would become the youngest player ever to do so.
Mbappe rising star
Mbappe may have played second fiddle to Neymar and Cavani last year for PSG, but that won’t last long. He’s quickly making a name for himself and climbing towards the top of the best footballer’s ladder. He can already be considered as one of the top 25 on the planet. As long as he keeps developing properly and doesn’t become too self-involved, something we’ve seen glimpses of during the World Cup, Mbappe has the talent to come close to Ronaldo and Messi, something we thought was impossible. No wonder he has drawn interest from his dream club Real Madrid. He had posters of Ronaldo all over his room when growing up, so it’s safe to assume that one day he’ll become a Galactico.
