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It’s been a strange season for Kylian Mbappe. Lots of goals, no trophies and no criticism from his home fans. But when the World Cup lights up, nothing else matters.
Having seen the likes of Vinicius Jr. and Lamine Yamal fail to lead their teams to victory earlier in the tournament this summer, he made sure not to follow suit in spectacular style.
France were cheated in the opening 45 minutes of their opening game against Senegal. If anything, they were lucky they were going to break. Their only real bright spark was Madridista, whose touch relegated him to the bottom third.
Maybe it was a case of rust. In the second half, Mbappe was at his fearsome, electrifying best.
Kylian Mbappe tops the rankings in all important offensive metrics
When you have Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and hopeful Michael Olis dedicating their games to you, it proves you’re special. And in the ‘World Cup’, no player can be more special than Mbappe.
How the 27-year-old failed to win a penalty after Sadio Mane’s lunge remains puzzling despite the result. He beat the former Liverpool man ended in a snippet of what could be to come this summer.
Despite the controversial decision, he didn’t let it affect him. He dusted himself off and gave Les Bleus the advantage five minutes later. His opener may not have been as eye-catching as what followed, but a smart first-time finish by the swivel as the keeper closed the angle showed his natural finishing ability.
Then came the showstopper. Icing on the cake. Mbappe decided not to feature after seeing PSG youngster Ibrahim Mbaye pulled back with a thunderous stoppage-time strike.
From 35 yards out for Manchester United in 2009, the Frenchman duplicated his idol Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal. One touch to get the ball off his feet, the other to find the top left corner.
The strike had an xG of only 0.02. Simply put, he had only a two percent chance of finding the net there. Yet this should not be a surprise. Mbappe has done the unthinkable at the World Cup.
France’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal
In his first tournament, he stole the show as a teenager. While Didier Deschamps’ side were star-studded, he was the crown jewel in leading them to the trophy in Russia while being named Young Player of the Tournament.
Four years later in Qatar, it was the same from an evolved Mbappe. Though it didn’t hold the trophy, he capped things off with a World Cup final hat-trick. Only Sir Geoff Hirst had managed such a feat before him.
Kylian Mbappe’s double made it 58 goals for France
His second goal sealed his name in French history, as he surpassed Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time top scorer with 58 goals. But that’s not the only goalscoring record he hopes to hold onto in mid-July.
Mbappe is just two goals away from equaling Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals in two full tournaments and one extra game. Come to think of it, he might have two more tournaments in between to at least break even and extend it.
It’s only day one of this edition of the world’s most famous tournament, but the France No.10 is already staking a claim as the greatest World Cup performer of all time. More of this, and the crown will be undeniable.
Rooney: Mbappe is an absolute superstar
France’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal
Even some of the game’s greats have had to bow to Mbappe’s greatness.
Speaking after his game-winning double against Senegal, Wayne Rooney described his effort as “absolutely unbelievable”.
He said Mbappe is an absolute superstar BBC Sport. “I said at half-time, you’re quite lucky as a forward because you can be in for 45 minutes like he was in the first half and be frustrating and then you can come out and be like him in the second half.
“He’s absolutely incredible. There’s no doubt he’ll be the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer throughout this tournament.”
