00:04July 2023 marked the end of an era in European football as Lionel Messi bid farewell to Paris
00:11Saint-Germain to join Major League Soccer in the United States. After leading Argentina to
00:18World Cup glory at Qatar 2022, Messi followed long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo in leaving
00:25the European club scene. After two decades of dominating individual honours, it marked the
00:32passing of the baton to a new generation, a generation led by France ace Kylian Mbappé.
00:40Mbappé has shown us who he is, both with his club and with the national team. He's already
00:46doing really well in the present, but he's also the future of football. He embodies football
00:51post-Cristiano Ronaldo, post-Messi. He's an outstanding player.
00:57By the age of 22, Mbappé had already scored in consecutive World Cup finals,
01:03celebrating victory in one, bagging a hat-trick in a losing cause in the other.
01:10After breaking through as a 16-year-old with Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain made the electrifying
01:16forward the second most expensive player in history when they agreed to pay 180 million
01:22euros for the then 18-year-old. Mbappé went on to shatter all kinds of records in the French
01:30capital, becoming the club's all-time leading goalscorer by the age of 24.
01:38Known for his explosive pace, superb dribbling and clinical finishing, Mbappé is often compared
01:44to the great Pelé. And it was by becoming the first teenager since the Brazilian legend
01:50to score in a World Cup final that heralded Mbappé's arrival as a global superstar. That was during
01:57France's triumphant 2018 campaign.
02:01I knew before the final that if I had an opportunity to score, then I would make history. We did
02:11something great. We are very, very proud because it's for our country. Nothing beyond our country. It
02:20is the highest point. It's paramount. And it was an absolute dream for me to win the World Cup.
02:29Four years later, Mbappé further enhanced comparisons with Pelé by scoring in a second
02:35World Cup final. In Qatar, he fired only the second hat-trick in World Cup final history, yet somehow
02:42ended up on the losing side. It was enough for Mbappé to win the World Cup golden boot and match
02:50Pelé's
02:51World Cup goals tally at the age of 23.
02:56It's already excellent to have won one World Cup, but the next objective is then to carry on,
03:01not to just sit there, because I think we have incredible potential. Our team can do wonderful things.
03:08After Qatar 2022, Mbappé was appointed France's new captain, a reflection of the forward's maturity.
03:17A status enhanced in 2024, when he completed his dream move to Real Madrid.
03:24It's incredible to be here today. For so many years I've gone to sleep and dreamt about it,
03:29and today I'm fulfilling it. I'm a happy boy today. I'm very happy.
03:42The heir to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
03:47The equal of Pelé. Captain of France and star striker for the biggest club side in the world.
03:56Kylian Mbappé is the face of football's greatest stage.
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