Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé Lottin, born on 20 December 1998, is a French football sensation, showcasing his talents as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and leading the France national team as their captain. Widely acknowledged as one of the premier players globally, Mbappé is lauded for his extraordinary dribbling skills, exceptional speed, and clinical finishing on the field.


Hailing from Paris and raised in Bondy, Mbappé embarked on his senior club career in 2015 with Monaco. His contributions played a pivotal role in securing the Ligue 1 title during the 2016–17 season. In 2017, at the age of 18, he made a historic move to Paris Saint-Germain in a transfer valued at €180 million, making him the second-most-expensive player and the most expensive teenage player in football history.


On the international stage, Mbappé made his debut for France in 2017, showcasing his prowess at the age of 18. The 2018 FIFA World Cup witnessed Mbappé's meteoric rise, as he became the youngest French player to score in a World Cup and the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final. His exceptional performances contributed to France winning the tournament, earning him the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player and French Player of the Year awards.


Mbappé continued his success with France, securing victory in the UEFA Nations League in 2021 and receiving the top scorer award in the finals. The 2022 FIFA World Cup showcased Mbappé's brilliance once again, where he won the Golden Boot, Silver Ball, and set the record for the most goals scored in World Cup finals with a memorable hat-trick in the final.


His remarkable achievements have been acknowledged through various accolades, including finishing in third place for the 2023 Ballon d'Or and being the runner-up for the 2022 The Best FIFA Men's Player award. Mbappé has been a consistent presence in prestigious football lineups such as the FIFA FIFPro World11 and the UEFA Team of the Year. Notable individual awards include the Golden Boy in 2017, the Kopa Trophy in 2018, and being recognized as Ligue 1 Player of the Year a record four times.


Beyond the football pitch, Mbappé's influence extends to being named among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2023. He also holds a prominent position in the Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes, securing the third rank in 2023.


Mbappé started the season facing adversity as he contracted COVID-19 during international duty, causing him to miss the initial three matches.[97] Returning to the field on 20 September 2020, he showcased his prowess in a 3–0 away triumph against Nice, finding the net from the penalty spot. Later, on 28 October, Mbappé delivered two assists to Moise Kean in a 2–0 Champions League group stage win over İstanbul Başakşehir.


This achievement solidified his status as the leading assist provider since the 2017–18 season, amassing a total of fourteen over four seasons. December 5th witnessed Mbappé reaching a milestone, scoring his 100th goal for PSG against Montpellier in Ligue 1 and joining the exclusive club of five players to achieve this for the Parisian side.


In the final Champions League group match, Mbappé exhibited his brilliance by scoring two goals against Başakşehir, propelling PSG to a 5–1 victory and securing their spot in the knockout phase as group leaders. Notably, he became the youngest player in Champions League history to reach twenty goals, a record later surpassed by Erling Haaland in the same season.


February 16, 2021, marked another historic moment for Mbappé as he became the third player, following Faustino Asprilla and Andriy Shevchenko, to achieve a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona, contributing to PSG's 4–1 triumph in the round of 16 at the Camp Nou. This feat propelled him to become PSG's third-highest scorer, surpassing Pauleta's tally with 109 goals. Mbappé continued his impressive form, scoring twice in a 4–0 victory against Dijon on February 27, setting a new record as the first player with five braces in a Ligue 1 season.


The second leg against Barcelona on March 10 saw Mbappé converting a penalty in a 1–1 draw, propelling PSG to the quarter-finals with a 5–2 aggregate score. Notably, he secured his 25th Champions League goal, surpassing Lionel Messi as the youngest player to reach this milestone at 22 years and 80 days. Adding to his first-leg hat-trick, Mbappé made history by becoming the first player to score four goals against Barcelona in a single Champions League season.


April 7th marked another exceptional performance by Mbappé in the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. Scoring twice, he played a pivotal role in PSG's 3–2 victory at the Allianz Arena, marking the club's first win in Munich since 1994. Despite progressing to the semi-finals, PSG faced elimination by Manchester City, with Mbappé missing the second leg due to a calf injury. On May 19, he contributed significantly to PSG Coupe de France triumph, scoring once and assisting the second in a 2–0 win against former club Monaco.


Concluding the Ligue 1 campaign with 27 goals, Mbappé secured the top scorer title for the third consecutive season, although PSG fell short of the league title for the first time in his career after four successive victories His outstanding season earned him the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and a spot in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season.


On 14 August 2021, before Paris Saint-Germain's inaugural home match of the 2021–22 season against Strasbourg, Mbappé faced jeers from the Parc des Princes crowd amid speculations about his desire to join the Spanish club Real Madrid.[116] The game concluded with a 4–2 triumph for the Parisians, and the forward contributed to three of his team's goals.


He netted his first goal of the season in a 4–2 away victory against Brest six days later. In the subsequent fixture against Reims on 29 August, during which Lionel Messi notably debuted for PSG, Mbappé scored two goals in a 2–0 Rouge-et-Bleu triumph. On 24 November, he scored in a 2–1 Champions League loss to Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium.


On 7 December, he scored twice in a 4–1 Champions League home win over Club Brugge. These goals, his 30th and 31st in the Champions League, established him as the youngest player to achieve this milestone in the competition's history.


On 12 December 2021, Mbappé scored twice against Monaco in Ligue 1, reaching a century of league goals for PSG. At 22 years and 357 days old, he became the youngest player to score 100 goals for a single team in the French top-flight since Opta began recording data in the 1950–51 season. On 3 January 2022, Mbappé secured his first hat-trick of the season in a 4–0 Coupe de France victory over Vannes.


On 11 February, he scored the decisive goal in stoppage time in a 1–0 league win against Rennes, a feat he repeated four days later in a 1–0 Champions League triumph over Real Madrid in the first leg of the round of 16. He added another goal in the second leg, making him the second-highest goalscorer in Paris Saint-Germain's history; however, his team was eliminated following a 3–1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

References

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