“Sorry to say it, but in my mind and that of all the players, this is not a new season, but the continuity of the previous one,” said Kylian Mbappé recently.
And to add: "But it is not because there is a sequence of matches that we have to do anything.
I like to play.
You will never see me complain.
Afterwards, to say that it is not obvious, it is an observation. "
The Parisian world champion will however have to wait a little longer before resting, with two more matches to play before the truce.
Starting with the shock of the 16th day of Ligue 1 this Sunday (9 p.m.), in Lille, the day of his 22nd birthday.
The opportunity to (re) dive into his young but already rich career.
Already in the history of PSG
"A liberation".
It is in these terms that the prodigy of Bondy welcomed his 100th goal in Paris, on December 5 in Montpellier (3-1).
It was indeed several matches that he was chasing.
"In a big club like that, with all the great players who have passed ... When I signed here, I never thought I would score so many goals, he promised.
It was part of the distant goals, but it wasn't a goal like that.
To make it happen… Thank you to the teammates, thank you to the club. ”
He has since added three more, bringing his total to 103.
Passing Dominique Rocheteau, Mbappé is (already) at the gates of the Top 3 top scorers in the history of the club, behind Edinson Cavani (200 goals), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (156) and Pedro Miguel Pauleta (109).
With 16 goals in the Blues, he is still far from the top of the hierarchy and the top three (Henry with 51 goals, Giroud 44 and Platini 41).
Kylian Mbappé is in any case already 146 goals between Paris, the France team and Monaco (27).
A machine.
Forever the first
Mbappé scores a lot, it's a fact.
And he does it faster than the others, he who has several precocity records.
Youngest player with 50 goals in L1 over the last 70 years (20 years, 2 months, 3 days), youngest at 20 goals in the Champions League (21 years and 11 months), youngest French scorer in the final phase of a big international competition (19 years, 6 months and 1 day) and youngest player to score in the final of the World Cup since Pelé in 1958 (19 years and 204 days)… Non-exhaustive list.
Erling Haaland, however, looks even more in a hurry ...
Happiness is in the near
If he is not strictly speaking a fox of the surfaces, Kylian Mbappé is never as comfortable as in the penalty area.
Of his 146 professional goals, he scored 132 inside 18 meters, not to mention nine penalties, and therefore only five outside the truth zone.
We will emphasize Mbappé also marks almost exclusively with the right foot (111), little with the left (29) and very little with the head (6).
“I'm working on this,” he said of his head game.
Like what, he still has room.
And at only 22, that's pretty normal after all.
A goalscorer, but not only
Speaking of margin, the main interested guess one in terms of altruism and assists.
“I think I can score even more.
On that, I have a margin, he assures.
I might have a lot of assists already, but compared to my own margin I think I can do even more assists.
It will come with time. ”
This season alone, Mbappé has made seven (4 in L1, 3 in C1).
Since his arrival at Paris Saint-Germain, it's 52 caviars, as many as Jérôme Rothen and already more than Marco Verratti (48).
The Top 5 is not far away, with an additional assist for Zlatan Ibrahimovic (53).
“You have to play with others, you don't win on your own,” he still proclaimed a few weeks ago.
An attacker has to be selfish, that's what I've always been taught.
But I try to work on myself because you have to open up to others and make others shine. ”
Note that Mbappé has often made his partners shine against Lille: already six assists against the Mastiffs in the league, at least double compared to any other opponent in L1, according to
Opta
.
The former Monegasque also remains on two Ligue 1 matches without a goal or an assist against LOSC, after having been decisive in the first five (2 goals, 6 assists).
Titles in spades
Even if it means evoking Mbappé in numbers, we can take the opportunity to highlight his already substantial record, with nine major collective titles, including the 2018 World Cup, but also four coronations in Ligue 1, including three with Paris and one under the colors of Monaco , two in the Coupe de France and the same in the Coupe de la Ligue.
Add to that a European U19 champion title with Les Bleuets in 2016, two Champions Trophies and a number of individual awards, including two top scorer titles in L1 (2019 and 2020).
Moreover, with his 33 achievements in the 2018-19 championship, Mbappé became the top French scorer for PSG over one season and also the top French scorer in L1 in the 21st century.
To extend his record to the European scene, the world champion will however have to settle the sights in C1: before his double against Basaksehir (5-1), at the beginning of December, he chained nine matches of “Champions” without scoring!
Since his six goals in six knockout matches with ASM in 2016-17, Mbappé has only found the net once in nine outings from the round of 16 with Paris.
2021, the turning point?
€ 27.6 million.
This is the amount of Kylian Mbappé's income in 2020 according to
Forbes
, including salaries and advertising contracts.
Enough to make him the 36th highest paid athlete this year, all disciplines combined.
There is no doubt that his next contract will make him climb further in this hierarchy.
He could even touch the summits.
It remains to be seen where he will sign this golden deal.
In Paris ?
This is the wish of the Parisian leaders, who do not hide it.
“I am very confident.
The two want to stay with us, ”recently praised Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, referring to Neymar and the Frenchman.
Because it is perhaps the most burning figure concerning Mbappé, and therefore also Neymar: 2022, year of the end of their lease in the capital.
In 2021, they will have to extend or leave.
Otherwise, the champions of France would take the risk of losing them without compensation in a year and a half ... And this will probably not be the chosen direction.
Recall that Paris had snatched Kylian Mbappé from Monaco for € 180 million in 2017, bonus included.
Record for a Frenchman, and the second most expensive transfer in the history of football after that of “Ney” (222 M €).
Read also
League 1 standings
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