Mbappè: A big fish playing in a small pond

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

On the 2nd of December, 2015, a teenager came on for AS Monaco against Caen — replacing Fabio Coentrão to beat the record set by Thierry Henry in 1994.

Just over two months later, the fairytale continued with a goal in a 3-1 victory over Troyes. On that day, Kylian Mbappè Lottin became the youngest player to score for the principality club.

At 17 years and 62 days — even before signing a professional contract at the Stade Louis II, Mbappè etched his name in the club’s books.

The start

Kylian Mbappè arrived at the club much earlier in 2013 despite accompanying interest from Real Madrid CF and despite a teasing period that saw him meet idol Zinedine Zidane, the teenager opted for the switch to the French outfit.

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Things properly took off in the 2016/2017 season when AS Monaco ended Paris Saint-Germain’s stronghold as league champions. Despite not being an initial go-to name for Leonardo Jardim with the availability of the experienced Radamel Falcao and Valere Germain, Mbappè could only settle for a spot on the bench as he gradually pushed for a starting berth. 

The turn of the year came bearing gifts as he earned the manager’s trust. Mbappé played a minimal role in the club’s group stage campaign of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League, but by the time the knockout phase struck, he already become a familiar name with Jardim’s team. 

Mbappè made his continental announcement as he scored the second goal against Manchester City in the initial leg of their knockout tie having partnered Radamel Falcao up top in a 5-3 defeat.

He went on to score six times in six games to propel Monaco to the semi-finals, with his remarkable performance against Juventus earning plaudits from the veteran Gianluigi Buffon.

The career establishment

Freshly voted as the league’s best player and in the team of the season, the youngster triggered interest from far and wide — opting however for a switch to hometown club Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017. 

A surreal first season with the record transfer Neymar Jr earned him a permanent move in the coming summer. Monaco received a record €180 million for their prodigy, the highest ever between French sides, and only in second place to Neymar Jr in football’s highest rankings.

Mbappè’s arrival in Paris has reaped almost every benefit on both individual and team basis.

The club took the league title on every occasion bar the inspiring triumph of Lille OSC (5 triumphs) and a total of 13 trophies in that period.

Mbappè has won the league’s golden boot on 5 occasions, the season’s best player on four occasions as well as the player of the month 12 times amongst others. A worthy return on investment for the 25-year-old.

The now

While he missed out on winning back-to-back World Cup trophies like Pele in the 2022 final, Kylian Mbappè’s performance gave every indication the stage is set for him with the assured absences of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in European football.

If he called quits today, the World Cup Golden Boot winner would have had a career that’s eluded even the best of players. 

However, one that continues to elude his catalog has been the UEFA Champions League, the same trophy that eluded greats of the game such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Gianluigi Buffon amongst others. The closest ask was in the 2020 final when they went toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich. 

Goal from countryman Kingsley Coman denied a star-studded PSG glory on that occasion. Even the arrival of the record-winning Balón d’Or winner Lionel Messi at the French capital was not enough to lead them to glory as he rounded up a front three with Neymar and the Frenchman.

Luis Enrique, tournament-winning coach in 2015 with FC Barcelona also attempts to attain the impossible for the club this time out. This trophy however continues to look out of the reach of the Paris-based outfit. 

It required the influence of the Emir of Qatar and French President Emmanuel Macron to extend his contract on its initial expiration. 

Having chosen not to extend this time out and with the sniffing noses of the most successful team in this tournament — Real Madrid, it looks like it’s deservingly time for arguably the world’s best player to make that switch away from the Paris capital.