Pardon me, Kylian
Genius. Fantastic. Exceptional.
Adjectives abound to describe what Kylian Mbappé did in front of more than 47,000 fans at the Parc des Princes, in Paris. The 23-year-old forward decided the game by scoring the goal that gave the team from the French capital the lead in their UEFA Champions League last-16 clash against Real Madrid.
However, even though the Frenchman played one of the best games of his young career, some members of the world’s most popular sport community were still reluctant to consider him among the games elite performers.
I used to be one of them, and for that I beg your pardon, Kylian.
There are certain qualities a player needs to exhibit in order to be considered a world-class player on the field. Skill, intelligence, finishing, vision, tactical brilliance to name a few. When the rare player comes along who can put all these qualities together they’re often considered megastars. Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are currently card carrying members of that club.
After a great season defending Monaco, Mbappe had his coming out party during the 2018 World Cup, where he was not only the champion of the tournament, but also the best player of the French team. At PSG, often overshadowed by the individual talent of Neymar, the Frenchman has never been the great protagonist of the team no matter how many stellar individual performances he put on. One such instance was during the great victory against Barcelona last season, when he scored a hat-trick at Camp Nou.
But, even with a World Cup and the main titles of the French territory under his belt, in my mind, and I believe in the mind of many others as well, it seemed that Mbappe was still missing something to enter the select group of world soccer aces.
Since I moved to France, I’ve had the opportunity to see Mbappe play live on four occasions. In four matches, I’ve witnessed the Frenchman numerous times in an offside position, executing dribbles without showing any fluidity in his body movements, missing clear scoring chances, and complaining like a child that his teammate, Neymar, didn’t pass him the ball.
Mbappe failed to charm me and only reinforced my assumption that he was not someone who possessed the attributes of an ace. But, this week my opinion regarding the young player changed and it didn’t take me being at the Parc des Princes to reach that conclusion.
The match between Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid was circled on most fans calendars and he knew it. As much as this was the match where Messi would play against Real Madrid for the first time since his departure from Barcelona, as much as Neymar was back, as much as the Madrid team plays better soccer than PSG currently, the eyes of the world were on the French youngster. And he was fully aware of this fact.
An ace is not only someone extremely talented, but also someone who rises to the occasion when his team needs him most. Like Neymar, Cristiano, and Messi do. And like Mbappe has been doing throughout this season and did once more this week.
Scoring chances were extremely difficult to come by for the Parisians due to the strong Spanish defensive system, and all signs pointed towards a 0-0 score. And then it happened. At the 94th minute of play, surrounded by two opposing players, Mbappe did the unthinkable in a small space, scoring a highlight reel goal bringing PSG fans to their feet filled with a mixture of joy and disbelief.
I suspect my reaction following the goal was similar to that of many other viewers. Hands on my head, jaw open, eyes fixated on the TV. While I may not be a PSG fan, I love soccer and yesterday Mbappe showed the world that while he may not be “the man” at the moment, his time is coming soon.
Whether you like the Frenchman’s style of play or not, one thing is undeniable: Mbappe is quickly becoming PSG’s star player and a strong candidate to be voted the best in the world this season. For now, he has 22 goals and 16 assists in 32 games, as well as a UEFA Nations League title for his country in October 2021.
Following the latest installment of Mbappe’s incredible soccer prowess, all I can say is that I was completely wrong. The hype is real when it comes to the PSG forward.
-Matheus Teles