Kylian Mbappé, 100 goals in the blink of an eye…

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The Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé reached the 100 goal mark in the Rouge et Bleu shirt this Saturday night. But for Mbappé it’s not just about breaking records, he has also reinvented the art of chasing them.

Records are there to be broken, especially in sport. Breaking boundaries, reaching what’s meant to be impossible, being unique, that’s what it’s all about. Since Kylian Mbappé first burst onto the scene at the top level he’s been chasing every possible record. His goal tally is growing at an unbelievable rate and is more and more decisive in games. His raw speed is unmatched. There are even some records that Mbappé seems to be the only one able to break, because of how young he actually is. Kylian Mbappé breaks records for fun. It was so easy for someone who couldn’t yet drive but showed immense maturity at the highest level of the professional game.

The man who moved to the capital back in 2017 hasn’t stopped, whether he was playing for Monaco or Paris, his goals speak for themselves. Just three years after joining Paris Saint-Germain Kylian Mbappé has 100 goals to his name for the club. An incredible feat in such a short time period.
The young striker now finds himself ahead of Safet Susic, François M’Pelé and Mustapha Dahleb in the club’s top goalscorers list. With his goal this weekend Mbappé also equalled Dominique Rocheteau’s goal tally who was quick to congratulate him on his record.

The difference between Mbappé and his predecessors is the speed at which he’s done it. It took him just 137 games to score 100 goals, 117 games less than Rocheteau… Only three legends of the club are now ahead of him in the top goalscorers list: Pedro Miguel Pauleta on 109 goals, Zlatan Ibrahimovic on 156 goals, and Edinson Cavani who famously reached the 200 goal mark. “They are big players and legends of the club. They left their mark on Paris Saint-Germain and being a part of that is an honour for me, especially in a massive club like Paris” said Mbappé this Saturday.

As for what he’s shown on the pitch, it’s tough to talk about everything Mbappé’s done such is his record. Ever since his first game and first goal against Metz back in August 2017, the number seven’s goal tally has increased at a phenomenal rate.

Mbappé also possesses moments of genius like he showed when he assisted Cavani with a fantastic backheel against Angers (Ligue 1 - 04/11/2017) or his stunning volley against Saint-Etienne (Ligue 1 - 17/02/2019)

He’s also created some fantastic memories, like his four goals in games against rivals Marseille or his goal against Celtic that made him the youngest goalscorer in the Champions League for Paris at just 18 years old. (C1 - 12/09/2017).
You’ve also got to think of Mbappe’s crazy hauls, his quadruple against Lyon in just 13 minutes (Ligue 1 - 07/10/2018) or his hat trick in just 22 minutes away to Bruges (C1 - 22/10/2019).

mbappe

No matter where Kylian Mbappé has been deployed at Paris, he’s always performed. After being played out on the right by Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel has mostly played him as a central striker in a front three or even in a front two. And despite his goalscoring record, the number seven has always strived to improve: “I think I’ve still got to improve, and I try to do that every single day. I’m not perfect. And my game isn’t either.” He said in an interview last month.

It’s tough to imagine, when you see that the kid from Bondy has notched 100 goals and also provided 58 assists. After the game against Montpellier, Mbappé spoke of the record: “It’s true that it’s a massive landmark. I’d been thinking about it for a few games and that might be why I didn’t score. I might have thought about it too much. I still tried to concentrate on the team and helping my teammates as much as possible and they gave it back to me tonight when they gave me that goal. I’m delighted!”

Numbers don’t lie. Kylian Mbappé has averaged a goal contribution every 40 minutes this season in Ligue 1 and he’s the league’s top scorer. He's also been Ligue 1's top goalscorer in the last two seasons.
All of that at just 21. It makes it easy to take what he does for granted. But it’s exceptional.

By Ambre Godillon