It was a year ago that a raw but exciting young forward called Kylian Mbappe exploded into our consciousness by masterminding a spectacular and unexpected Champions League victory at the last-16 stage for Monaco against mighty Manchester City.
Mbappe scored in both legs as Monaco won on away goals after the tie had finished 6-6 on aggregate, City winning the first game 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium before losing 3-1 in the Principality.
Monaco went on to reach the semi-finals, Mbappe secured a mouthwatering £166million move to Paris Saint-Germain and on Tuesday night he’ll carry the main responsibility in Neymar’s absence of overturning a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Real Madrid, the team he was tipped to join last year. Mbappe is still only 19.
Kylian Mbappe is facing up to the huge task of taking down Real Madrid on Tuesday night
Mbappe trains at PSG’s Ooredoo Centre ahead of the Champions League last-16 second leg
He enjoys a joke with team-mates (from left) Edinson Cavani, Hatem Ben Arfa and Marquinhos
There was huge relief in the French capital when manager Unai Emery announced that Mbappe had returned to training on Sunday and is fit to play against the reigning European champions having injured his ankle a week ago in the French Cup against Marseilles.
He will line up on the right-hand side of a front three also including Edinson Cavani and former Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria.
If PSG are to launch a comeback against the reigning European champions, they’ll need Mbappe to utilise all of his special assets; an electrifying change of pace, quick feet that allow him to dribble past defenders, and a composed yet venomous finish that has already seen him score 15 times this season despite often starting wide.
Mbappe has broken records from the moment he scored his first senior goal for Monaco aged 17 years and 62 days, replacing Thierry Henry as the club’s youngest scorer. He is the youngest player to have scored 10 goals in the Champions League – eclipsing Karim Benzema and Lionel Messi by two years – and just a fortnight ago his goal against Marseille in Ligue 1 made him the youngest scorer in ‘Le Classique’, the fiercest rivalry in France.
Facing Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale et al – represents a step up, however, and it will be fascinating to see whether Mbappe can handle the pressure at such a young age. Doubters will point to last season’s Champions League where he inspired Monaco against City and Borussia Dortmund but came up short against the experience and knowhow of Juve in the semi-finals.
Although Mbappe’s move to PSG made him the most expensive teenager in the world, he began the season overshadowed by Neymar, who had joined to Barcelona for a record £198m and accompanying headlines all around the world.
Mbappe announced himself as a precocious teenager against Manchester City last season
His Champions League feats helped secure a huge £166m transfer to his hometown club PSG
Mbappe scored his first goal in only his third appearance, against Metz, yet had to work out the balance between attack and defensive duties, given Neymar and Cavani gave the PSG line-up an ultra-adventurous look.
His credentials as a big-match player were heightened with two assists in a 3-0 win against Bayern Munich in the group stages of the Champions League. In December, he celebrated his 19th birthday with a goal against Caen.
| Games Played | 32 |
| Games Started | 29 |
| Minutes Played | 2432 |
| Goals | 16 |
| Mins per Goal | 152 |
| Shots, Total (inc. Blocks) | 89 |
| Shots, on Target | 47 |
| Shot Conversion Rate (inc. Blocks) | 17.98% |
| Assists | 14 |
| Chances Created (inc. assists) | 61 |
He is clearly aware of the importance of this upcoming clash between two of the continent’s super-heavyweights. After the draw was made, he said: ‘Ronaldo is my hero but it doesn’t matter who is in front of us. We want to win.’
The evidence suggests Mbappe has the independent mind required to handle responsibility. He’s already leapfrogged the likes of Anthony Martial in the French national side.
Every club in Europe wanted to sign him as a boy. He went to look at Chelsea at 11 and met Zinedine Zidane when Real went on a charm offensive. He chose Monaco as the ideal place to guide his development and then chose PSG above Real last year.
He grew up in the northern suburbs of the French capital and said ‘it’s like coming home’ at his unveiling (though the complexities of financial fair play have it down as a season-long loan in the books with the deal to be made permanent this summer).
To add to the intrigue, Mbappe will come up against arguably the world’s best left back, Marcelo of Madrid and Brazil, for the second leg.
Marcelo will be aware that Arsene Wenger has compared the teenager to Pele. ‘He has exceptional talent and exceptional belief,’ says the Arsenal manager, who turned Monaco’s ‘other’ great talent Henry into a world-class star.
Neymar will leave a big hole in PSG’s side against Madrid due to his absence through injury
But Mbappe has settled well in Paris and is returning from injury himself to spearhead the side
In football terms, Mbappe can humiliate even the best with his version of the Muhammad Ali soft-shoe shuffle that can bamboozle markers before he sprints past them. He unerringly finds the corner of the net when he gets into the penalty area and unleashes his right-foot shots.
There are some critics who think PSG are a better-balanced team without the brilliant but highly-individualistic Neymar.
That theory relies on Mbappe becoming the main man. Real Madrid are the acid test.