The confirmation that Kylian Mbappe is a football superstar in the making was generously provided by Cristiano Ronaldo, who sees the Paris Saint-Germain as an heir apparent. The Portuguese said Mbappe plays fantastic football and the 21-year-old is shaping up to be the present and future of the sport.
Only in his fourth season as a professional, Mbappe has already chalked up impressive numbers that probably Ronaldo considered in making his prediction. The France international has played 116 games so far with PSG, and he now has 84 goals under his name with 48 assists to boot.
According to Bleacher Report, the exploits of Mbappe early in his football journey can be described as the usual achievement of a player at his peak. But the story is just beginning for the Frenchman, and he is already fantastic.
"Mbappe is the future and the present. He's a fantastic player, very fast, and he will be the future," Ronaldo was reported as saying.
His forecast of a storied career for Mbappe had started, in fact, when the youngster was first signed by PSG. The Paris club paid €180 million, and until now, that investment appears to be paying off.
Mbappe has also showcased the other dimension of his gameplay. As his numbers attest, Mbappe works so that other players will also shine, and proof of that is the significantly high number of assists he dishes out.
The Frenchman is a solid candidate to win the Ballon d'Or soon, and it's hard to argue that he could follow on the feats by Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as far as the honor is concerned. The two legends are the benchmark of Ballon excellence, having 11 awards between them - six for the Barcelona star and five for the Juventus forward.
When asked who among the two greats he is looking to take after, Mbappe admitted Ronaldo is his preference, Goal reported.
"It's too late for me to carve out a career like Messi's, I would have had to stay at Monaco ... Without taking anything away from Messi, now I have to draw on Cristiano's career for inspiration," the PSG star was reported as saying.
He explained that as a French national, the expectation was for upcoming footballers to worship Zinedine Zidane, which Mbappe said he did. But it was Ronaldo who he considers has a great impact on his game.
"It was Cristiano, who I have been fortunate enough to have faced as an opponent, at club level and with the national team," said Mbappe.
As he is now a hot item in football, it's hardly a surprise that European giants are working to woo him away from Paris. Business Insider said rumors persist that Mbappe has plans to move out soon and the options ahead are just wide - Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga or Liverpool in Premier League.
For now, though, Mbappe is focused on his commitment with PSG, but he admitted that when the campaign ends this season, he'll be checking out on the good things that wave at him.
