Another year draws to a close, and as we look back, it cannot be denied that 2018 has indeed been an engaging year of football. Croatia’s run to the World Cup final, Real Madrid completing a hattrick of Champions League titles, Manchester City storming its way through a record-breaking EPL season, the controversial all-Argentine Copa Libertadores finals, and, closer home, minnow Minerva Punjab edging past three title contenders on the final matchday of the I-League.
In terms of the individuals in the sport, two have stood out. It is not the same two names we have heard for about a decade. Luka Modric is one, and he has been drowned in awards for the fantastic season he has had with club and country. But if there is one player who really owned 2018, it is Kylian Mbappe.
As he steps out of his teens—he turned 20 this month—and into a new calendar year, the Frenchman seems to be the ambassador for a brand of football that could define the coming years. He scorched the Russian pitches with his pace and left defenders much older to him (remember the Argentines?) humiliated.
All through the packed World Cup group stage, France managed to slip past the more storied teams like Croatia, Senegal and Germany. Two scrappy victories and a draw didn’t count for much for a team with this kind of potential. The Round of 16 onward, it was a different story. As their defensive abilities continued to shine, it was the counterattacking football that carried them all the way to the trophy.
With his speed, dribbling and finishing abilities, Mbappe delivered the final product. He did that not only for France, but also for PSG in the seasons before and after the Cup. Quick movement is the new dominating strategy in football, and 2019 will be full of it.
Spurs and Liverpool in the current PL season are prime examples. Manchester City no longer looks invincible as the possession-heavy style of football looks for an upgrade. Tiki-taka will never die, but for now, Kylian Mbappe could be the version of Lionel Messi under Pep Guardiola—the finisher/beneficiary of a style of play—in the Jurgen Klopp school of football.
Comparisons with Thierry Henry were rife before the World Cup. After the tournament, it was taken several notches higher. The new Pele, he was called. For football had not witnessed a teenager light up its biggest stage like this since the Brazilian legend did back in 1958. Even Pele himself acknowledged Mbappe’s achievement of scoring in a World Cup final.
For PSG, he has been nothing short of phenomenal. Mbappe moved from Monaco to Paris as the most expensive teenager of all time (around €180 million). And he defended his price tag on the pitch. He scored 21 goals and assisted 15 in his 46 appearances in his first season at PSG. In the ongoing season, he has already amassed 15 goals and 10 assists in 19 games. The popular joke was that his teammate Neymar, who left Barcelona to escape Messi’s shadow, was now overshadowed by a teenager.
But unfortunately for Mbappe, it is a footballing world that is flooded with money that he excels in. It was the abundance of money that brought him to PSG and it could be the lack of it that could usher him out of the club. PSG find themselves in a financial situation where they will have to offload either Neymar or Mbappe to balance its books and comply with financial fair play rules.
Real Madrid, a side that has been struggling ever since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, is on the hunt for a new Galactico, and has proved to be a worthy suitor for both players. If Mbappe is the one to go, it would be another step up for him. At 19, he had already achieved more than what many heroes of the sport have. But the sky will be the limit for him.
Mbappe comes from a humble background and he has been shoved headlong into a football world that is ruled by oil money and political muscle. It is in such settings that the need for good mentors is imperative. Cristiano Ronaldo to this day credits Sir Alex Ferguson for playing that role in his days as a fledgling superstar.
It would be a pity should he take the Ronaldinho route of burning out before establishing his legendary status. But if Mbappe continues his 2018 form into the new year and goes on to win bigger things with whichever club he plays for, he could become the new face of the sport.
Heavy lies the crown of being a Messi-Ronaldo successor. Neymar craved for it but failed to justify it. Mbappe has what it takes and has started brilliantly. The decisions he takes hence forth will determine whether he becomes a chapter or a mere footnote in the football’s history books.
