Just in case anyone had forgotten how special of a talent Kylian Mbappe was, he served up a masterclass against Russia to jog the memory.
Mbappe started in a lucrative attacking triumvirate with Ousmane Dembele and Anthony Martial, scoring twice under the lights in Saint Petersburg. He became youngest player to score a brace for the French national team during the post-war period in doing so.
Not a bad day at the office, we’re sure you’ll agree.
Marry it to an inch-perfect Paul Pogba strike, too, and Les Bleus had themselves a comfortable 3-1 win over this summer’s World Cup hosts.
Mbappe has long since impressed the footballing community despite being just 19-years-old and has continued his progression with Paris Saint-Germain and on the international stage.
Mbappe impresses with Russia performance
There’s every reason to suggest he could take the award for the tournament’s best young player when the competition rolls around this summer.
And, unsurprisingly, his masterclass in Russia had fans bowled over.
His first goal in particular received the most attention. Mbappe effortlessly traversed the tackles of two Russian players before disguising his shot to expose Andrey Lunyov at his near post.
Mbappe reminded everybody of Zinedine Zidane in 2006
Furthermore, the goal just happened to cut an uncanny resemblance to a Zinedine Zidane classic from the 2006 World Cup.
A journalist soon brought this to Twitter’s attention and then the reaction simply rolled in.
Check out the comparison and the reaction:
27 June 2006: France's third against Spain (Zidane – 34 years old)
27 March 2018: France's first against Russia (Mbappe – 19 years old) #LesBleusRemember pic.twitter.com/LC0ZDA09sB— Mahmoud Mahdy (@MahmoudMahdy) March 27, 2018
It’s pretty close to a carbon copy, you’ve got to admit.
While it’s difficult to see Mbappe reaching the heights and achievements of a footballing god like Zidane, it’s clear he has the talent and ability to match one of his finest strikes.
Reminding anybody of Zidane with your style of play can only be a compliment, anyway.
Moreover, there’s every reason to suggest Mbappe can keep improving and especially alongside his fellow young forwards of Martial and Dembele.
He remarked after the game: “It’s good, I’m happy, but the important thing was to win, I do not chase after the records.”
“I played with players it’s easy to link up with, it’s simple to play with Ousmane and Anthony. We have to work on our understanding, but I think it was a good start.”