Kylian Mbappe seeks to rearrange football’s hierarchy in the World Cup final

Kylian Mbappe Sunday could become the youngest player to win two World Cups since then pellet He achieved this feat at the age of 21. Mbappe, who turns 24 two days after the final, is the joint top scorer with five goals in this World Cup and the face of the new football generation. Another World Cup’s Lionel Messi And the Cristiano RonaldoThe tournament, which will be held in Qatar, is certainly a sign of the passing of the baton from the two players who have dominated the sport for nearly two decades. While Messi has one last chance at the elusive World Cup title, Mbappe and France are hoping to usher in an era of dominance for a country that has appeared in a fourth final in seven attempts.

With a team decimated by injuries and struggling for form in the run-up to the match, there were real fears that France could suffer the same fate as the reigning champions in 2002 and crash out at the group stage.

France may not have set the world on fire en route to the final, but they were masters of decisive moments – demonstrating the ruthlessness of their killer instinct when it mattered most.

Much of that stems from Mbappe, the most feared player on the planet, whose goals helped propel France to one win and become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.

The goalkeeper and captain said: “There’s a great connection between the team. We work together, but when you start to get close to the title in this competition, you need your key players at their best.” Hugo Lloris.

Mbappe declared himself on the world stage in 2018 with two goals against Argentina in the Round of 16 in Russia, where he won the Best Young Player award.

At 19, he became the youngest player to score in a World Cup final since 17-year-old Pele in 1958, and already has more World Cup goals than Portugal. Ronaldo or Diego Maradona.

He scored four goals in the 2018 edition – his first major tournament – in a fourth-place finish for France in a 4-2 win over Croatia in the final.

Only Jost Fontaine, who scored an incredible 13 goals in the 1958 tournament in Sweden, has more World Cup goals for France.

‘It’s hard to see the limit’

Mbappe scored 250 goals in 362 matches for club and country, a number that far exceeds those scored by Messi and Ronaldo at the same age.

“It’s hard to see the limit for Kylian,” Lloris said. “He can break all the records. It’s amazing to have a teammate like him.”

But personal awards are not Mbappe’s motivation with the French national team.

“My only goal is to win the World Cup,” he said.

“This is what I dream about. I didn’t come here to win the Ballon d’Or. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to win and help the French national team.”

“The World Cup is an obsession for me, it is my dream competition.”

France is not short on talent, but Mbappe is simply on another level.

So much so, that France coach Didier Deschamps has given Mbappe license to roam and he often takes full advantage of that freedom, rarely returning to help defend in World Cup finals.

This is also why PSG would go to heaven and earth to keep Mbappe at the club when Real Madrid looked set to move the forward from the Parc des Princes.

Mbappe signed a new three-year contract to stay in his homeland, a decision that President Emmanuel Macron – who traveled to the semi-final against Morocco – admits he advised the striker to make.

Macron intends to attend Sunday’s final at Lusail Stadium again, where Mbappe has the chance to occupy the stage vacated by Messi and Ronaldo – and make his case for his first Ballon d’Or.

(This story has not been edited by the NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

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