Time said Mbappé was a global superstar who “is the future of soccer.”

Mbappé made headlines in September 2017 when he moved from Ligue 1 side Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain for a staggering 180 million euros (RM870 million), a deal that saw the then 18-year-old player handed a reported monthly salary of 1.5 million euros (RM7.2 million).

But the 19-year-old’s stock skyrocketed during this year’s World Cup, where a series of phenomenal displays drew compliments from Brazil legend Pelé on his way to helping France end their 20-year wait to win another World Cup trophy.

Mbappé became the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history when he struck in a 1-0 win over Peru in the group stages.

The teenager from the gritty Parisian suburb of Bondy then tore apart Argentina, scoring twice and earning a penalty as Les Bleus eliminated the highly-fancied South Americans 4-3 in the last 16 knockout round.

In doing so, Mbappé became only the second teenager, after Pelé in 1958, to score two goals in a World Cup match.

When Mbappé scored with a four-metre strike in the final, a 4-2 win over Croatia, he became only the second teenager to do so, after Pelé, in 1958.

With a total of four goals in the tournament, Mbappé received FIFA’s award for Best Young Player of the World Cup.

Arguably better still were the plaudits from Pelé himself, who said: “If Kylian keeps on equalling my records, I’m going to have to dust off my boots.”