PARIS – Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe's rapid rise to global fame has earned the teenaged World Cup winner an appearance on the cover of Time magazine's international edition, to appear on Friday.
Time said Mbappe was a global superstar who “is the future of soccer.”
Mbappe made headlines in September 2017 when he moved from Ligue 1 side Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain for a staggering 180 million euros ($207 million), a deal that saw the then 18-year-old player handed a reported monthly salary of 1.5m euros ($1.8m).
But the 19-year-old's stock skyrocketed during this year's World Cup, where a series of phenomenal displays drew compliments from Brazil legend Pele on his way to helping France end their 20-year wait to win another World Cup trophy.
France's Kylian Mbappe is mobbed by fans during training. Photo: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Mbappe became the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history when he struck in a 1-0 win over Peru in the group stages.
The teenager from the gritty Parisian suburb of Bondy then tore apart Argentina, scoring twice and earning a penalty as Les Blues eliminated the highly-fancied South Americans 4-3 in the last 16 knockout round.
In doing so, Mbappe became only the second teenager, after Pele in 1958, to score two goals in a World Cup match.
When Mbappe scored with a five-yard strike in the final, a 4-2 win over Croatia, he became only the second teenager to do so, after Pele, in 1958.
. @KMbappe's soccer skills catapulted him to superstardom at the 2018 World Cup. But he is staying grounded https://t.co/Sj6bRQQ2kk
— TIME (@TIME) October 10, 2018
With a total of four goals in the tournament, Mbappe received Fi Fa’s award for Best Young Player of the World Cup.
Arguably better still were the plaudits from Pele himself, who said: “If Kylian keeps on equalling my records, I'm going to have to dust off my boots.”
Mbappe's teenage days will end when he celebrates his 20th birthday on December 20.
He is expected to spearhead France's attack Thursday when France host Iceland in a friendly in Guin gamp.