World Cup 2022: The joy of France’s goal-scoring king, Kylian Mbappe

Still just 23, France and PSG’s goal-scoring superstar is having another World Cup of a lifetime, writes JASON GAY.

Jason Gay

3 min read

December 6, 2022 - 6:27AM

Kylian Mbappe is in the process of taking over the mantle as the greatest player in the world. Picture: Fareed Kotb/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

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Is there anything more joyful in sports than watching an athlete who is the very best in the world at what they do, who is living up to that ridiculous hype and mantle and all of its associated pressure, and delivering?

Shorter version: Is there anything more fun than watching the French soccer sensation Kylian Mbappé in the World Cup right now?

He is the one. As in: If you’re a sports fan, and even if you’re not a sports fan—even if you’ve mistakenly wandered into this column hoping it’s Jason Zweig, about to drop more investing intelligence—take my advice. Mbappé (pronounced Mmm-Bah-Pay) is the one athlete on the planet at this moment that should make you drop everything and watch.

If you have a TV, make an appointment with Mbappé for the France vs. England quarterfinal.

If you don’t have a TV, buy one. Worth every penny, just for Mbappé Time.

If you don’t have a TV, buy one just to watch Mbappe play. Picture: Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images

The Parisian soccer phenomenon, age 23, is that good. Already a superstar via his performances for France’s 2018 World Cup title team and his pro club Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé arrived in Qatar with an expectation to announce himself as the world’s premier player.

This tournament is being billed as The Sunset Cup for aging legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi—both still alive with Portugal and Argentina, respectively—and a passing of the torch to a next generation of GOATs.

Mbappé has seized the opportunity, almost giddily.

Through four games at this 2022 tournament, Mbappé leads all scorers with five goals, giving him nine World Cup goals already in his young career. No player has tallied as many World Cup goals before the age of 24 as Mbappé has–not even Pelé, whose pre-24 mark Mbappé broke Sunday with two goals in France’s 3-1 Round of 16 cruise over Poland.

We’ve seen this a lot over the past few weeks. Picture: Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images

Those are just the numbers. Mbappé is a sensory experience.

You can detect him within seconds. Even surrounded by world-class talent, the Frenchman is a cut above—his speed, his physicality, his ability to toy with defenders and goalkeepers as if he’s a varsity player dropping down to mess with the JV.

Every touch is a possibility. Every shot feels like it’s going in.

Mbappé occupies that space between athleticism and grace held by the rarest athletes—the Steph Curry Zone; peak Roger Federer; Barry Sanders in his absolute prime. France is loaded with playmakers—Les Bleus are a juggernaut, a favorite to become the first back-to-back champion since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. Mbappé stirs the whole attack.

Poland thought it had a Mbappé Plan, swarming the forward with multiple defenders who pounced on his every move. It was comically futile. First Mbappé found veteran striker Olivier Giroud for a brilliant assist on France’s opening score, a goal that allowed Giroud to pass Thierry Henry as France’s all-time leading scorer. Then Mbappé got on the board himself with a calmly wicked shot over the shoulder of Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. He added an exclamation in the closing minutes.

There is no Mbappé Plan. There is only Mbappé.

Want to see an England fan sweat? Ask them what they’re going to do about Mbappé. It’s already a national panic.

There is no Mbappe plan. There is only Mbappe. Picture: Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images

Soccer fame is different. The celebrity of a domestic sports star like Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Judge can’t compare to the stardom of someone like Messi or Ronaldo, who are beloved across oceans and continents. Mbappé’s machinations can bring France to a standstill, as they did this past spring, when Mbappé flirted with leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid, the favorite team of his childhood.

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, called Mbappé to ask him to stay at PSG. The prior President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, did the same. Mbappé wound up staying, for a deal reported to be around $200 million over three seasons.

That’s a stressful situation for a young athlete to navigate. And yet Mbappé wants all of it. Identified as a world-class talent before his teens, a global icon before 20, it’d be understandable if Mbappé already seemed weary, weighted down by the hype. Instead he is thriving.