England meet France in the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Saturday (kick-off 19:00 GMT) – and one player in particular is on everyone’s mind.
Paris St-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe is arguably the best player in the world right now, and much of the talk has been about how he can be stopped by Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions.
BBC Sport picks out the seven things you need to know about Mbappe and his meteoric rise…
1. He is the second most expensive player in history
In 2017, Mbappe joined PSG, initially on loan from Monaco, before making the move permanent a year later for €180m (£166m).
It’s still the second most expensive transfer ever. The only deal that cost more was the €222m (£200m) transfer of Brazilian striker Neymar to PSG from Barcelona in 2017.
Mbappe went on to score 190 goals in 237 games for the French champions, where he plays alongside Neymar and Argentine great Lionel Messi.
2. He is a serial winner
In seven years as a professional, Mbappe has won:
- World Cup 2018
- 2020-21 UEFA Nations League
- Five Ligue 1 titles (four at PSG, one at Monaco)
- Three French Cups
- Two French League Cups
Individually, he won the Golden Boy award – given to the best player under 21 in Europe’s top flight – in 2017, was named French player of the year twice, and Ligue 1 player of the year and three-time Young Player of the Year. . He was also deemed best young player at the 2018 World Cup and top scorer in Ligue 1 in four seasons.
And he helped PSG reach their first Champions League final of 2020, despite being beaten by Bayern Munich.
3. He used to light up a World Cup
Mbappe was just 19 when he played a key role in France’s bid for glory at Russia 2018, scoring four goals along the way.
His strike in the 4-2 win against Croatia made him the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, after Brazilian legend Pelé in 1958.
Mbappe is Qatar’s top scorer so far with five goals, and his tally of nine at World Cups means he has already passed Diego Maradona, who has scored eight for Argentina, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Indeed, he is the youngest player to score nine World Cup goals, breaking a record held by Eusebio, who scored eight for Portugal at the age of 24 years and 182 days.
4. He broke records at a young age
Mbappe, who was born on the outskirts of Paris and started for local side AS Bondy, made his first-team debut for Monaco in December 2015.
Aged 16 years and 347 days, he becomes the youngest player in club history, beating a record set by France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in 1994 – when he appeared as an 88th-minute substitute against Caen.
Three months later, he became the club’s youngest goalscorer with his first senior goal against Troyes. Who set the previous record? Henry.
5. He is super fast
In France’s 3-1 round of 16 win over Poland, their top speed was recorded at 35.3 km/h and ahead of Sunday’s game only six players had recorded faster sprints during this year’s World Cup.
In September, Ligue 1 declared him the fastest player in the league this season at 36 km/h.
To put that into context, Jamaican Olympic sprint legend Usain Bolt set his world record for the 100m in 9.58 seconds in 2009 with a average speed of 37.58 km/h.
6. He turned down a big money transfer to Real Madrid last summer
After a lengthy courtship from Real president Florentino Perez and a financial deal with the La Liga giants, Mbappé decided to stay in Paris and sign a new three-year contract.
According to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, the two clubs were prepared to pay 150m euros (£127m) as a signing fee.
However, he hasn’t ruled out a move to the Spanish and European champions in the future, telling the BBC in May that his Real Madrid dream was “never over”.
7. A Humble Global Star
In October, Mbappe tops Forbes list of highest-earning footballers – the first time anyone other than Messi or Ronaldo has been number one in nine years.
He is estimated to earn $128m (£115.2m) this season.
Mbappe is also popular on social media, with a combined following of around 100 million on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
He was also named alongside Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar as the most influential footballers on Instagram due to playing at the 2022 World Cup.
His signature crossed arms and knee-sliding celebration have featured on Fifa 21 game and he would have been the youngest athlete to appear alone on the cover, before returning for the 2022 edition.
After winning the World Cup four years ago, Mbappe announced he had donated his entire £380,000 tournament salary to a children’s charity.
