Meet Kylian Mbappé, The 19-Year-Old Teen Who Helped France Win The World Cup
Les Bleus' new poster boy.
By John Lim — 16 Jul 2018, 02:24 PM
France are now the world champions after winning 4-2 in a nerve-biting, incident-packed victory over first-time finalist Croatia
The final took place yesterday, 15 July, at Luzhniki Stadium, in front of a sold-out crowd adorned in mostly Croatian and French colours.
Croatia had a lot of heart, but it was Didier Deschamps' side who came out victorious in the six-goal thriller that saw the first ever own goal and VAR-awarded penalty in a World Cup Final.
Les Blues last carried the elusive World Cup trophy in 1998.
Helping France restore its former glory is a fresh-faced teenager, who rounded up yesterday’s scorecard with undoubtedly one of the best goals in the tournament.
His name… is Kylian Mbappé.
The 19-year-old star tallied four goals in the 2018 World Cup for France. He scored the only goal against Peru in the Group Stage before sending Messi and co home by scoring twice against Argentina.
Mbappé practically grew up with football. His father, an immigrant from Cameroon, is a football coach who would bring him to practice sessions as a toddler.
"You could say that Kylian was born here at this club. He was here as a baby when his father was a player and a coach. He was always here and learning about football, even as a toddler," said Atmane Airouche, president of AS Bondy, Mbappé's boyhood club where his potential and talent were first uncovered.
Before long, he started outperforming other kids in the club.
"Kylian could do much more than the other children. His dribbling was already fantastic and he was much faster than the others," former coach Antonio Riccardi told BBC.
By the age of 14, he had already turned pro and was playing for Monaco in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football
He helped lead the club to its first Ligue 1 title in 17 years.
In August 2017, he moved to Paris-Saint Germain on a loan deal rumoured to be worth 180 million euros, according to ESPN's sources
With constant comparisons made between him and Thierry Henry, Mbappé knew he had to prove himself to the world that he wasn't just all hype with no substance – and he did throughout the course of this World Cup
Mbappé made history on Sunday, becoming the first teenage player to score in a World Cup Final since Brazilian legend Pele in the 1958 Final at age 17.
Apart from being a world champion, he was also crowned the FIFA Young Player Award.
So, what's next for the prodigy after winning the World Cup? Mbappé says it's only the beginning.
“I have a story to write, this is just the beginning. I intend to go even further," he warned the world.
We're sure you will, kid.