00:03July 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 longtime 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
00:45doing really well in the present, but he's also the future of football. He embodies football
00:50post Cristiano Ronaldo, post Messi. He's an outstanding player. By the age of 22, Mbappé had already
01:00scored in consecutive World Cup finals, celebrating victory in one, bagging a hat-trick in a losing
01:06cause in the other. After breaking through as a 16-year-old with Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain
01:14made the electrifying forward the second most expensive player in history when they agreed
01:20to pay 180 million euros for the then 18-year-old. Mbappé went on to shatter all kinds of records
01:29in the French capital, becoming the club's all-time leading goalscorer by the age of 24.
01:37Known for his explosive pace, superb dribbling and clinical finishing, Mbappé is often compared
01:43to the great Pelé. And it was by becoming the first teenager since the Brazilian legend to score in a
01:51World Cup final that heralded Mbappé's arrival as a global superstar. That was during France's
01:57triumphant 2018 campaign.
02:02I knew before the final that if I had an opportunity to score, then I would make history. We did
02:11something great.
02:11We are very, very proud. Because it's for our country. Nothing beyond our country. It is the highest point. It's
02:22paramount. And it was an absolute dream for me to win the World Cup.
02:28Four years later, Mbappé further enhanced comparisons with Pelé by scoring in a second World Cup final. In Qatar, he
02:37fired only the second hat-trick in World Cup final history, yet somehow ended up on the losing side.
02:45It was enough for Mbappé to win the World Cup golden boot and match Pelé's World Cup goals tally at
02:52the age of 23.
02:55It's already excellent to have won one World Cup. But the next objective is then to carry on, not to
03:01just 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.
03:16A status enhanced in 2024 when he completed his dream move to Real Madrid.
03:23It's incredible to be here today. For so many years, I've gone to sleep and dreamt about it. And today,
03:29I'm fulfilling it. I'm a happy boy today. I'm very happy.
03:35One, two, three.
03:38The heir to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
03:46The equal of Pelé.
03:48The equal of Pelé.
03:49The captain of France and star striker for the biggest club side in the world.
03:55Kylian Mbappé is the face of football's greatest stage.
03:59The ox-abb Sadler.
03:59Theصل to land channel.
04:00Thepruch at the fighter.
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