Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé grew up in Bondy, just outside Paris, and joined Monaco's academy at 14. His first-team debut in December 2015, aged 16, broke Thierry Henry's record as the club's youngest player. In 2017 he scored in both legs of a Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund, and Monaco went on to win the league. He credited Radamel Falcao with teaching him to stay "calm" and "serene" during games. The first thing anyone notices is the acceleration. In 2020 Le Figaro named him the fastest player in the world, and he times his runs to get in behind the back line, which makes him deadly on the counter-attack. On the ball he is just as hard to handle. He beats defenders one against one with step-overs and sudden switches of speed or direction, and keeps the ball close even when running flat out. Nicolas Anelka compared the way he attacks defenders to Ronaldo at the 1996 Olympics. He is more than a sprinter. Mbappé is comfortable on either wing because he can use both feet, although the right is the stronger one. From the left he cuts inside onto the right foot; from the right he looks up for a teammate. Through the middle, his composure and clinical finishing let him lead the line. His 2021–22 season at PSG showed the range: 28 league goals and 17 assists, the first time anyone had topped both charts in Ligue 1. He was Ligue 1's top scorer six times and became PSG's all-time leading scorer before joining Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2024. In his first season in Spain he scored 31 league goals in 34 games, winning the Pichichi and the European Golden Shoe, and he added a second Pichichi in 2025–26. As of autumn 2026 the Champions League has escaped him, the nearest miss being the 2020 final with PSG. The World Cup is where his name was made. At 19 he scored twice against Argentina, matching a teenage feat only Pelé had managed, and insisted afterwards that "Pelé is in another category". He then scored in the final against Croatia, again the first teenager since Pelé to do so. Four years later, with France 2–0 down to Argentina in the final and just over ten minutes left, he scored twice in two minutes and then completed his hat-trick from the spot, although France lost the shoot-out. After a second Golden Boot in 2026 he had 22 World Cup goals, more than anyone in history. He has had his bad nights. His miss in the Euro 2020 shoot-out against Switzerland sent France home, and after Euro 2024 he called his own tournament a "failure". Still, Didier Deschamps made him France captain in 2023, Stefan de Vrij called him his toughest opponent, and Jean-Pierre Papin rated him the greatest striker ever to play for France.