As Kylian Mbappe arrowed a volley into the bottom corner of the net at the Lusail Stadium, an entire planet gasped. The most dramatic moment of the greatest World Cup final of all time came not from Lionel Messi, but the man who ended up on the losing side.
With his second goal in two minutes, astonishingly levelling a game that looked done and dusted, Mbappe had sealed his status as a World Cup legend. A 2018 champion at just 19, his toe-to-toe battle with the best player in history in Qatar will forever endure. A battle for the World Cup, Golden Boot and Ballon d'Or, all on one night.
Like the match itself, the Golden Boot tussle swung back and forth: first Messi led, then Mbappe, then Messi again, then finally Mbappe, after the first hat-trick in a World Cup final since Sir Geoff Hurst. In 13 World Cups since 1970, only the Frenchman and Ronaldo have struck as many as eight times at a single tournament. Aged 23, he'd drawn level with Pele's career tally of 12 finals goals.
Despite all of that, Kylian Mbappe is yet to score a single European Championship goal. This summer, he intends to put that right.
Undoubtedly, Mbappe would have claimed the Ballon d'Or if France had triumphed that evening in Lusail in 2022. He's been tipped as a future winner of the honour for several years now, even if only Euro 2024 glory will put him in contention this time, following Paris Saint-Germain's semi-final exit to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
For some, there's no question he already deserves it. "Everyone knows now that Kylian Mbappe is the best player in the world," says Robert Pires, the man who laid on the assist for David Trezeguet's golden goal when Les Bleus last won the Euros in 2000.
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