Below are some of the most important milestones in Kylian Mbappe’s only 8-year playing career.
2016: Make a name for yourself at Monaco
The world watched as Kylian Mbappe began tearing apart Ligue 1 defenses in 2016 despite being just 17 years old. The former AS Monaco striker made 11 appearances in the 15/16 season for Les Monegasques. Mbappe asserted himself to French football fans with the first hat-trick of his career in a 7-0 victory over Rennes.
2017: Champion is born
In the 2016/17 season, Mbappe became the star of the team when he led Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco to the Ligue 1 championship. This striker scored 15 goals and assisted 11 times to help Les Monegasques win the national championship for the first time. after 17 years.
In addition to making his debut for the team at the age of 17, the young striker’s mesmerizing performance in the Champions League immediately brought him into the spotlight. Monaco reached the semi-finals of UEFA’s premier club competition in 2017 and Mbappe played a key role. Two goals against Manchester City and a double against Dortmund in the quarterfinals truly made the whole world stand up and applaud.
2018: On top of the world
2018 was probably the most groundbreaking year in Mbappe’s career to date. After a stellar season with Monaco, the then teenager was signed by Paris Saint-Germain for €166 million in the summer of 2017. Les Parisiens’ investment paid off immediately as he scored 21 goals and assisted 16 times in all competitions to help PSG win the domestic treble.
Mbappe played an important role in helping Les Bleus win the world championship at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The French international became the youngest player to score in a final since Pele and was also named Best Young Player of the tournament.
2019: Collect more trophies
Mbappe continues to mature and assert himself as PSG’s future star. Along with Cavani and Neymar, the French captain rocked every Ligue 1 defense when Les Parisiens won the championship of France’s top division for the second consecutive time. This is also Mbappe’s third National Championship title. The PSG striker scored 33 goals and won the Golden Boot.
That wasn’t the only individual award Mbappe received in 2019. The Monaco academy product was named the best U21 player in the world when he received his first Kopa trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony. d’Or of France Football.
2020: Domestic dominance
Mbappe and PSG made history in 2020 by becoming the first team in French football history to win the domestic quadruple. 2020 saw the Ligue 1 season end early following the COVID-19 pandemic, but Mbappe still played an important role as he scored 25 goals in a significantly shortened season.
After football returned, PSG reached the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. It was his teammate at that time, Kingsley Coman, who prevented PSG from getting a fifth trophy.
2021: Success in the Nations League
In terms of clubs, 2021 was perhaps the most disappointing year of Kylian Mbappe’s career as PSG missed out on a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title to Lille. However, Mbappe remained France’s most effective player as he received his third consecutive Golden Boot award.
On the contrary, for the French team, 2021 is a memorable year. Mbappe won the second international trophy of his career as they were crowned UEFA Nations League champions. Les Bleus flourished thanks to the chemistry between Karim Benzema and Mbappe. The France captain scored the decisive goal in both the semi-finals and final, and also assisted his teammate twice.
2022: Almost perfect
That France reached the 2022 World Cup final is hardly surprising. However, Kylian Mbappe’s performance to send Les Bleus to a penalty shootout in their second consecutive World Cup final was truly remarkable. When France was two goals behind, Mbappe single-handedly brought them back into the game with a hat-trick. The PSG striker scored eight goals for Les Bleus in winning the Golden Boot title in Qatar, but the 25-year-old will feel it could have been more.
2023: Leading Les Bleus & 300 career goals
After Hugo Lloris retired, Mbappe was appointed captain of Les Bleus by Didier Deschamps. This boosted his spirit in the French national team when the striker caught up with teammate Olivier Giroud to become Les Bleus’ all-time leading scorer.
The France captain has also broken countless records for both club and country during the calendar year. Most notably, he became Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer and scored 300 career goals.