At this point in time, the general consensus is that Kylian Mbappe is the best footballer on the planet.
With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both seeing their powers wane with age, it’s time for a new man to sit atop the throne.
And many believe that Mbappe is the undisputed king right now, ahead of the likes of Erling Haaland and Neymar.
Mbappe has been in supreme form at Paris Saint-Germain over the past three years or so, while he also thrives on the international stage.
The 23-year-old was key to France’s World Cup triumph in 2018 and has continued to dazzle at the 2022 edition of the tournament.
Mbappe scored in Les Bleus’ 4-1 opening win over Australia, before bagging a match-winning brace against Denmark.
The superstar’s goals helped France secure progress to the last-16 with a game to spare and as such, Didier Deschamps opted to rest his main man for the battle with Tunisia on Wednesday.
Deschamps named a much-changed starting XI, with Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele all rested too.
But due to the fact France fell 1-0 behind to Wahbi Khazri’s brilliant 58th minute goal, Mbappe was called upon.
The PSG forward entered the fray in the 63rd minute and footage captured from the stands shows just how concerned Tunisia fans were about his entrance.
A small group of supporters were virtually begging Mbappe not to come on, which the player himself spotted.
Check out his rather cheeky reaction…
Video: Mbappe’s reaction after Tunisia fans begged him not come on
A smile that basically says: “Yeah, I know I’m bloody good!”
But it turns out, the Tunisia fans didn’t need to be afraid of Mbappe one bit.
Despite strolling onto the pitch with around half an hour to play, the future Ballon d’Or winner couldn’t influence proceedings.
He failed to add to his three goals at the 2022 World Cup and also couldn’t produce an assist to level the scores at 1-1.
A game without an Mbappe goal contribution? It’s a real rarity, so cherish it, Tunisia fans – even if you have been eliminated after Australia’s memorable 1-0 win over Denmark.
Who will Mbappe and France play in the last-16?
After yet another enthralling night of World Cup action on Wednesday, France have been drawn with Poland in the tournament’s first knockout round.
Robert Lewandowski‘s side made it out of Group C by the skin of their teeth, with Mexico falling short by just a single goal.
Poland have looked anything but convincing at the World Cup thus far and it’s hard to envisage a reality in which Mbappe and France aren’t playing in the quarter-finals next weekend.
But when it comes to the Qatar tournament, no shock can be ruled out…
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