Kylian Mbappe, the French superstar has just turned 25 and has already etched his name on the list of football greats. His blistering pace on the field that immobilizes opposing defenders is directly proportional to his speed in goalscoring. Appeared in two FIFA World Cup finals as a youngster, winning one of them. He set the stage on fire with a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup and was on the verge of winning the second title.
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward is more than his stats suggest. His blistering speed on the field that immobilizes opposing defenders is directly proportional to his speed in scoring goals. The debate over who is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) is between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but Mbappe has proven himself to be a generational talent and is not far off a strong contender for the title.
At the moment one cannot say that the French skipper will surpass Messi or Ronaldo, but the stats would certainly suggest he might. Mbappe, at the age of 25, has more goals and assists than both the Argentine icon and the Portuguese stalwart did at the same age. The 2018 World Cup winner has also a better minutes-per-goal ratio than the two legends.
Messi won a World Cup at the age of 35, but he had three Ballon d'Or awards and three Champions League winners medals. Mbappe, on the other hand, so far has a Champions League and a Ballon d’Or. There is plenty of time left for him to achieve more, and on that note, let's do a comparison of his stats at 25 to those of Messi and Ronaldo at the same age.
Kylian Mbappe
Appearances: 421
Goals: 309
Assists: 148
Minutes per goal: 103.3
Minutes per goal or assist: 69.87
Free-kicks: 0
Penalties: 38
League Goals: 180
Champions League Goals: 43
International Goals: 46
Trophies
Club: Ligue 1 x 6, Coupe de France x 3, Coupe de la Ligue x 2, Trophee des Champions x 2
Youth: UEFA Euro Under-19 x 1
International: World Cup x 1, UEFA Nations League x 1
Individual: Ligue 1 Player of the Year x 4, World Cup Golden Boot x 1, Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer x 5
Lionel Messi
Appearances: 399
Goals: 279
Assists: 121
Minutes per goal: 111.5
Minutes per goal or assist: 77.8
Free-kicks: 7
Penalties: 34
League Goals: 169
Champions League Goals: 51
International Goals: 26
Trophies
Club: La Liga x 5, Champions League x 3, Copa del Rey x 2, Supercopa de Espana x 4, UEFA Super Cup x 2
Youth: FIFA Under-20 World Champions x 1, Summer Olympics x 1
International: None
Individual: Ballon d’Or x 3, European Golden Shoe x 2, La Liga Best Player x 4, Pichichi (La Liga top scorer) x 2
Cristiano Ronaldo
Appearances: 407
Goals: 160
Assists: 70
Minutes per goal: 187.5
Minutes per goal or assist: 130.5
Free-kicks: 17
Penalties: 20
League Goals: 96
Champions League Goals: 21
International Goals: 22
Trophies
Club: Portuguese Super Cup x 1, Premier League x 3, FA Cup x 1, League Cup x 2, Champions League x 1, FIFA Club World Cup x1
Youth: Toulon Tournament x 1
International: None
Individual: Ballon d’Or x 1, European Golden Shoe x 1, Premier League Player of the Season x 2, PFA Players Player of the Year x 2, Premier League Golden Boot x 1, Puskas Award x1, Champions League top scorer x1