How Kylian Mbappe compares to legendary modern goalscorers by 20

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Kylian Mbappé is one of the world’s most incredible scoring sensations.

He has been announced as being on the shortlist for both the Ballon d’Or and France Football’s new Kopa Trophy, which is an award for the best young player from the last year. He is the only player to be nominated for both awards and is likely to win the latter.

Mbappé’s goalscoring feats are legendary; he already has 64 competitive goals for club and country despite not turning 20 until December – just three of his career total have come in friendly internationals, which have been excluded.

This teenage sensation is breaking records and blowing minds at a staggering rate, but how does he compare to the icons of the game?

Obviously, Mbappé is a cut above the other young strikers around right now, but what about legends of the present and past? With just over two months until he is no longer a teenager mutant ninja scorer, how do Mbappé’s numbers match-up to others when the clock struck 20? Does he come out favourably or not?

Read on and find out!

Thierry Henry – 11 goals

The last great French striker before Mbappé wasn’t exactly a late bloomer, but when he turned 20 he was still considered a winger. And back in those days, a winger wasn’t someone who tended to score a whole heap of goals. His transformation under Arsene Wenger was still some years away and so Henry had a paltry 11 goals to his name that season.

Cristiano Ronaldo – 20 goals

Kylian Mbappé’s idol, Cristiano Ronaldo was still very much in the process of figuring himself out the season he turned 20.

He had already helped Manchester United win an FA Cup and helped Portugal reach the final of Euro 2004, but he was an inconsistent winger prone to overplaying. His lack of “end product” was often bemoaned and his goal total of 20 follows that.

Leo Messi – 27 goals

The world’s greatest player was still a bundle of injury-prone potential at 20.

Everyone knew how good Messi could be, he already had a hat-trick against Real Madrid as well as that goal against Getafe to his name, but it was just a matter of seeing him stay fit. In a Barcelona side dominating by Ronaldinho, Messi’s genius was restricted to small cameos, hence just 27 goals.

Pato – 39 goals

Alex Pato genuinely looked to have the world at his feet as a 20-year-old. He may not have become the legend others on this list have, but he perhaps should have.

As a teen, he had helped topple Barcelona in the Club World Cup and now he was playing for the mighty Milan. Pato’s 39 goals for club and country had everyone convinced this kid would be the next big thing; sadly injuries and a lack of physical discipline meant it never really got better than this for the Brazilian.

Wayne Rooney – 43 goals

If you look up ‘force of nature’ in the dictionary you’d probably get a picture of a young Wayne Rooney. Built like Mike Tyson with the touch of a ballerina and the shot of a .50 cal cannon, Wayne Rooney should have conquered the world much like Kylian Mbappé has.

A hat-trick on his Champions League debut should have been a sign of things to come, but Sir Alex Ferguson used Rooney’s selfless nature against him for the benefit of the team. But back in that Vodafone kit? My word, Rooney was a sight to see.

Sergio Aguero – 44 goals

Sergio Aguero debuted in Argentina as a 15-year-old and from that early age, it was obvious how special he was.

When turning 20, the Argentine had just come off a truly sensational breakout season for Atlético Madrid in which he scored an incredible 27 goals. He was about to win the Olympic Games, too. He didn’t have the goal totals that Mbappé does but he is one of the few who was as fearsome as the Frenchman.

Neymar – 48 goals

Kylian Mbappé is currently casting a long shadow over Neymar (that, admittedly, Neymar is helping him cast) but their achievements as 20-year-olds are comparable too.

Neymar had already been anointed the saviour of Brazil at this age and was carrying his country and club Santos (whom he had won a Copa Libertadores for). He had some temperament issues but the Brazilain was an uncontrollable bundle of skill and invention at this age; the only frustration is he’s still too similar to the player he was then.

Michael Owen – 48 goals

Talk about iconic. By the time he turned 20 Michael Owen had already completed his first two seasons for Liverpool (in which he scored 46 goals in 84 games) and shaken up the World Cup with that historic goal against Argentina. It’s likely his goal total would be significantly higher, but Owen spent the majority of the end of his 19th year out injured with the first of many issues with his hamstring.

Owen would later win the Ballon d’Or having just turned 22, it would be silly to rule out the same happening for Kylian Mbappé in 2020 – especially as the European Championships will be taking place that year.

Ra̼l Р59 goals

It’s hard for a player to be so quietly brilliant that they can rack up over 100 appearances for Real Madrid and two Liga titles before they turn 20 and not gain worldwide hype and acclaim, but Raúl somehow managed it.

The youngster has almost matched Mbappé’s goal total but most certainly has bettered him in terms of on-pitch achievement. Raúl was already a living legend by the time he turned 20, what he did afterwards etched his name into history.

Ronaldo – 92 goals

The only great on this list to have scored more goals than Kylian Mbappé in the season they turned 20 is, of course, Ronaldo. O Fenomeno.

This man was truly something superhuman back before Inter and Serie A turned his knee ligaments to powder. He had already won the World Cup and had just begun a frankly astonishing season with Barcelona where he’d go on to score 47 times in 49 games.

It’s hard to describe Ronaldo, really. Try to imagine Kylian Mbappé’s speed, skill and love of the big occasion but with the physique, power and consistency of peak 2016 Luis Suárez, and that’s about the closest you’ll get to what Ronaldo was. Truly one of a kind, and for now his goal total even surpasses Mbappé; but the Frenchman has the rest of the season to score the 26 goals needed to surpass him.

Will he get there? Possibly. But even if he does, there’s only one Ronaldo.

Data has been collected using Transfermarkt.co.uk with the total number of goals being the sum of all first-team competitive goals for club and country on the day of turning 20; Kylian Mbappé turns 20 years old on 20th December 2018.

The post How Kylian Mbappe compares to legendary modern goalscorers by 20 appeared first on Squawka News.



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