That the young Frenchman relegated Lionel Messi to the role of "companion".
Kylian Mbappé is only 23 years old but his foray into the world football scene continues to grow. The French dynamo has played for his home country's most successful club, Paris Saint-Germain, for 12 years and is a permanent member of the France national team. The French dynamo continue to score important goals. Two in the last week were injury-time winners for PSG.
In the Ligue 1 game, a right-foot curler struck in the 93rd minute against Rennes to give the Parisians a 1-0 win. There was déjà vu on Tuesday as PSG started their UEFA Champions League knockout rounds at home against European giants Real Madrid. You could feel a repeat coming. The PSG number 7 was the best player at Le Parc des Princes, creating more chances than anyone and confusing the Madrid defense with his pace. His work seemed to have paid off in the 61st minute when he conceded a penalty and was shot down by Dani Carvajal in the box.
Feeling like an odd qualifier for one of the world's best players, his PSG team-mate Lionel Messi stepped forward to take the penalty, guiding it to the right with his left foot but not far enough from the Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who saved. Despite this, Mbappé pressed on and showed signs of frustration in the 93rd minute when teammate Idrissa Gueye decided to shoot from outside the box, which Courtois easily saved instead of passing to him.
The teams appeared destined to travel to the Bernabéu, where Madrid are playing, to end the second leg of the round of 16 0-0 on aggregate. Until Mbappé did magic again. In what he believed to be PSG's last chance of the game, the Frenchman dribbled past both Éder Militão and Lucas Vázquez to put himself in prime position for a scoring opportunity. Leaning on his preferred right foot, Mbappé dribbles the ball into back netting under a sprawling Courtois for the winner in the 94th minute, with commentators debating whether he is the best footballer in the world.
Mbappe deserves a lot of credit for carving out a role in one of club football's most captivated sides over the years and doubling that with his role in the France national team. Moments like Tuesday's Champions League magic should continue as there may not be much debate left if the No. 7 is the best of his craft in the world. The question can change to: who is best after him?
With a World Cup taking place later this year, Mbappé's profile has every chance to improve before his 24th birthday. France are already guaranteed a place in Qatar after winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Mbappé one of the few and biggest stars in the world. tournament, scoring four goals in Russia. Messi turns 35 in June and Cristiano Ronaldo turns 37. The mantle for football's next big thing will be out soon, if it isn't already. This conversation is not complete without Mbappé.
