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On a day when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both saw their sides knocked out of the World Cup, it was a 19-year-old from France who emerged as the star, and there could be more success to come for Kylian Mbappe.
On the first day of the round of 16 matches, France produced probably the best performance of the tournament so far to knock out Argentina, in a thrilling 4-3 win. Argentina came from behind to lead 2-1 just after the break thanks to Gabriel Mercado, before a screamer from Benjamin Pavard bought France level. Mbappe’s double put France on the brink of qualification, before Sergio Aguero added a stoppage-time consolation.
In the second match, it was the Edinson Cavani show, as the PSG man scored twice as his Uruguay side beat Portugal 2-1. Cavani linked superbly with Luis Suarez before heading home the opener, before Pepe equalised not long after the break. They weren’t level for long though, with Cavani curling in a brilliant winner to send Uruguay through to the quarterfinals.
In a match where Lionel Messi was the focus of the world, the match ended with all eyes on Mbappe. This is his first major international tournament, and he is taking it by storm.
Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d’Or contest since 2008, with both players having won it five times. This could be the year that run ends though. Here are four reasons why this could be Mbappe’s year.
#1 He is doing it on the world stage
With all due respect, Ligue 1 isn’t the best quality league in the world. Compared to the Premier League and La Liga, it is a much weaker league, and isn’t as highly regarded as Europe’s other big leagues. If Mbappe was to challenge for the Ballon d’Or, he couldn’t just do it by performing well in France.
We have seen the Ballon d’Or decided by World Cup performances in the past, most notably with Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, who was named the World’s best player after leading Italy to the World Cup. He has performed in the Champions League with both Monaco and PSG, but has now been able to showcase his talent to the world with his brilliant showing against Argentina, and has proved he can do it on the big stage.
#2 He is genuinely world class
A lot of people focus on the fact that Mbappe is just 19, but he is already showing the maturity and composure of someone 10 years his senior. There aren’t many players in world football capable of the run he produced to win the penalty in the opening minutes against Argentina, and he made Manchester United’s Marcos Rojo look like an amateur given how easy it was to go past him.
In a French team with the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba, Mbappe has been the star. Even in the opening group stages, when France were well off the pace, he was the bright spark, and has kept that form going into the knockout stages. He took his goals brilliantly, on a stage where a lot of great players have been known to blow it in the past.
#3 He could lead France to the World Cup
It has been regularly said, probably incorrectly, that Lionel Messi can’t be considered one of the greatest players of all time because he has never won a major international trophy. Ronaldo has won one, and maybe now it’s Mbappe’s time to as well. If you look back at some of the greatest players we have seen, they are defined by their international achievements.
Diego Maradona is seen as one of, if not the, greatest players of all time, but he didn’t have the most distinguished club career, and he had his fair share of controversies off the pitch. If Mbappe can take France all the way in Russia, he will join these names. And it will have to be him to do the goods. However good Griezmann will be, however good Pogba will be, it is Mbappe who has come to the fore when the French needed someone to step forward, and he is now their most important player.
#4 Messi and Ronaldo’s powers are dwindling
It almost feels unfair to say, but after 10 years at the top, the two greatest players of their generation aren’t quite what they were. But that is the case. They are still a class above much of the rest of the world, but the gap is closing. Messi isn’t capable of producing the moments of brilliance at the same frequency he once did, while it has become clear Ronaldo has become more economical with his running in recent years.
Even at club level, the spotlight wasn’t on Ronaldo after Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph, it was on Gareth Bale after his sensational overhead kick. Quite simply, football needs a new star to emerge, and no one is better placed than Mbappe to be that man. There have been comparisons to Thierry Henry, and the 19-year-old can get to, and possibly surpass that level. He is better than Messi or Ronaldo were when they were his age, and now the pressure is on him to reach their level. But if his career up to this point is anything to go by, he can handle the pressure better than anyone.
