Teenage Star Mbappe Graces Time Magazine Cover

11th October 2018 - by AFP

He became the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history when he struck in a 1-0 win over Peru in the group stages

Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates after the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Olympique de Lyon (OL) on October 7, 2018 at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. PHOTO/AFP

SUMMARY

Mbappe made headlines in September 2017 when he moved from Ligue 1 side Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain for a staggering 180 million euros ($207 million)
But the 19-year-old's stock skyrocketed during this year's World Cup, where a series of phenomenal displays drew compliments from Brazil legend Pele
The teenager from the gritty Parisian suburb of Bondy then tore apart Argentina, scoring twice and earning a penalty as Les Blues eliminated the highly-fancied South Americans 4-3 in the last 16 knockout round

PARIS, France- Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe's rapid rise to global fame has earned the teenage World Cup winner an appearance on the cover of Time magazine's international edition, to appear on Friday.

Time said Mbappe was a global superstar who "is the future of soccer."

Mbappe made headlines in September 2017 when he moved from Ligue 1 side Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain for a staggering 180 million euros ($207 million), a deal that saw the then 18-year-old player handed a reported monthly salary of 1.5m euros ($1.8m).

But the 19-year-old's stock skyrocketed during this year's World Cup, where a series of phenomenal displays drew compliments from Brazil legend Pele on his way to helping France end their 20-year wait to win another World Cup trophy.

Mbappe became the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history when he struck in a 1-0 win over Peru in the group stages.

The teenager from the gritty Parisian suburb of Bondy then tore apart Argentina, scoring twice and earning a penalty as Les Blues eliminated the highly-fancied South Americans 4-3 in the last 16 knockout round.

Second teenager

In doing so, Mbappe became only the second teenager, after Pele in 1958, to score two goals in a World Cup match.

When Mbappe scored with a five-yard strike in the final, a 4-2 win over Croatia, he became only the second teenager to do so, after Pele, in 1958.

With a total of four goals in the tournament, Mbappe received FIFA’s award for Best Young Player of the World Cup.

Arguably better still were the plaudits from Pele himself, who said: "If Kylian keeps on equalling my records, I'm going to have to dust off my boots."

Mbappe's teenage days will end when he celebrates his 20th birthday on December 20.

He is expected to spearhead France's attack Thursday when France host Iceland in a friendly in Guingamp.