Kylian Mbappé’s (24) rise to superstardom shows no sign of stopping yet. The PSG free-scoring forward and newly-chosen France national team skipper is one of the 100 most influential people in the world, according to TIME. 2022 had been a roller-coaster of a year for the Paris-born prodigy. He signed a bumper new contract with PSG and almost single-handedly won France the 2022 World Cup final over Argentina with three goals to his name in that particular match. Mbappé found the back of the net 56 times in all competitions in 2022 alone, including eight in the World Cup.
The 24-year-old striker is the only Frenchman to feature in TIME’s rankings. Only six high-profile athletes are among the outlet’s 100 most influential people of 2023. Mbappé is notably accompanied by his PSG teammate and World Cup winner Lionel Messi. Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes, Polish Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and basket-ball player Brittney Griner have made the cut too.
Mbappé, “more than a soccer genius— a living rags-to-riches fairy tale“, has been categorised in the “Innovators” category in TIME’s rankings.