Kylian Mbappe is the best thing going at this World Cup
By Harvey Cruz
Kylian Mbappe ripped Argentina to shreds in the round of 16. Can the 19-year-old repeat the trick against the best defense in the tournament?
Kylian Mbappe wasn’t exactly an unknown quantity heading into this World Cup, but his two-goal performance against Argentina in the round of 16 felt an awful lot like a turning point. The first teenager to score a brace on this stage since a 17-year-old Pele in 1958. The starlet become the superstar.
Pele wasn’t the only comparison either. “He has qualities similar to Ronaldo, the Brazilian,” teammate Raphael Varane said. “But he’s also something different, he likes dribbling, he’s learning and we’re happy to have a player like him.” The Thierry Henry comparisons have floating around since his breakout season with Monaco in 2015-16.
Unlike most highly-touted youngsters, Mbappe is proving to be worth the hype. The manner of his goals against Argentina was impressive enough, but the intelligence and composure he showed throughout the match suggested this is a player who understands how to get the most out of his extraordinary talents.
Arsene Wenger, who knows a thing or two about developing young players, has been particularly impressed.
“From the beginning, he went to attack the Argentines. He was practically dangerous all along and when he had to make the decision he did it,” he said. “Do not forget he is only 19 years old! We do not realize what it is at this level! You have to take a step back to understand it. It’s exceptional what he achieved! There is something wrong with football. When he was 17 and playing in Monaco he had incredible numbers. When the numbers are there and at that age, it means that there is efficiency in addition to very very young talent. This proves that he is part of the race of 5-6 great big players who will dominate the world. ”
Even so, there will be much tougher tests than Argentina, who played directly into Mbappe’s hands, pressing high up the pitch and leaving far too much space in midfield. That starts with Uruguay’s impeccable defense, a defense that has conceded only once all tournament, in the quarterfinals on Friday.
In Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin, Mbappe faces his fiercest challenge to date — two tough, savvy defenders who will not be nearly as accommodating as their Argentine counterparts should Mbappe find the space to run at them.
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Didier Deschamps is a cautious manager by nature, and will be facing a Uruguay side who won’t get drawn into the sort of end-to-end contest the round of 16 proved to be for Les Bleus. The truly great players are the ones who find a way to impact every game, no matter how much space the opponent affords them.
Mbappe shouldn’t really have anything to prove given his age and what he’s already shown us, but such is the nature of expectation. If he can do what he did to Argentina against the best defense left in this tournament and lead France to the semifinals, those comparisons may no longer be doing him justice.