Kylian Mbappe @ 25: From the streets of Bondy to multiple record holder

On December 20, 1998 (exactly 25 years ago), a certain Kylian Mbappe was born in the French capital of Paris.

Although the young Mbappe showed heavy signs of his footballing brilliance as a kid, little did we know about the huge impact he would have on the football scene at 25 years of age.

Mbappe joined Monaco’s academy as a kid and was handed over to then first team manager Leonardo Jardim in 2015.

Few days to his birthday, he made his senior debut for the club becoming the club’s youngest-ever first-team player. He was only 16 years and 347 years old, breaking Thierry Henry’s record set in 1994.

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He later became the club’s youngest-ever first team goal scorer as a 17-year-old, displacing another Henry record.

The pacy winger eventually won the French Ligue 1 title with Monaco in the 2016/17 season, becoming the cynosure of all eyes. After a successful season with Monaco, he was signed by Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 18.

His €180 million move to PSG made him the second-most-expensive player and also the most expensive teenage in football history. Mbappe has won the Ligue title with the Paris club in 2018, 2019 and 2020. He went ahead to also win more league crowns in 2022 and 2023.

During these times of league dominance, he also stood tall, claiming several top scorer awards. He netted a whopping 33 goals in the 2018/2019 Ligue 1 season. The following season, he also won the award after scoring 18 goals.

Incredibly, Mbappe has claimed the top scorer prize for the last three seasons. In the 2020/21 season – 27 goals, 2021/22 – 28 goals and the 2022/23 season – 29 goals.

The world class player was a key part of the PSG team that won a domestic quadruple in the 2019–20 season.

That season, he led them to the final of the UEFA Champions League, where they lost by a lone goal to Bayern Munich.

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He has scored aplenty for Paris and continues to provide numerous assists for his teammates. No wonder he’s the club’s all-time leading scorer and third overall in terms of assists.

For France, with whom he made his international bow as an 18-year-old in 2017, Mbappe has won the World Cup.

He has always been someone special. And that was evident in his manner of maturity in play at the 2018 World Cup.

The 25-year-old is the youngest French player to score at a World Cup. Not only that, he is also the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final.

He led France to World Cup success five years ago when they beat a Luka Modric-inspired Croatia in the final.

Alongside being the joint second-highest goalscorer at that tournament, Mbappe was also named the Best Young Player. He was also awarded the French Player of the Year prize for his performances during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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At the 2022 World Cup, Mbappe was once again at the centre of things, guiding France to the final. His superlative performances throughout the tournament was indeed worthy of another title.

However, the tenacity and teamwork of the Argentines denied Les Bleus back-to-back titles. Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, beat France via penalties to win their first World Cup since 1986.

Mbappé won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards. He also set the record for most goals scored in World Cup finals following his historical hat-trick.