Kylian Mbappé: the art of reinventing statistics
Lethal in front of goal, the Paris Saint-Germain forward continues to be out on his own at the top of the scoring charts. We look at how he's done it.
If the Paris season is on stand-by at the moment, it seems the ideal time to have a first assessment of the statistics. For Kylian Mbappé, used to smashing records for the youngest player to achieve things and to be at the top of the most prestigious standings, there's no doubt that his statistical achievements are already notable.
27 league games have been played and in the most recent Ligue 1 match against Dijon he left us with the greatest of impressions, with two goals and an assist. With another double in the bag, the world champion has already been involved in 43 goals in 33 matches in all competitions.
Who has done better? Well, nobody, at least not in France, because the n°7 tops the Ligue 1 scoring chart with 18 goals. That also makes him the top scoring Frenchman across the 5 major European leagues, and also the top scorer in all competitions (30 goals). Extending that chart to non-French players, only Robert Lewandowski (44) has been involved in more goals than Kylian Mbappé (43) on the continent.
Finally, by stacking up the goals, the 21_year-old has also made his way into the top 3 of the top scoring players still active in the French top division with 80 goals (behind Cavani on 138 and Briand on 99). Of course he's the youngest player in Ligue 1 history to have reached 80 goals (ahead of Hervé Révélli with Saint-Étienne in 1969!).
Entering the Parisian pantheon
Two-and-a-half years after signing from Paris, the player from Bondy has been keeping the counters busy. He's already scored 90 goals in the Paris shirt. And that means he's already 7th when it comes to the top scorers in Paris Saint-Germain history.
Note that his endurance isn't only apparent on the pitch, as he has a scoring ratio of 0.75 goals per match... And only a certain Swedish giant can beat that.
One wing to the other, inimitable sprints on the counter-attack and finishing quality, Kylian Mbappé has featured all across the Paris attack, from the right wing to the left wing, as part of a duo, a trio, or as a lone forward, and he's always been decisive. From his technical understanding and the ease with which he combines with Neymar Jr (the teammate he's found with the most passes, 208 in all), to his ability to find the space for Marco Verratti to give him the ball (the teammate who plays the most passes to him, 145 in total), Mbappé rarely goes through a whole match without leaving a statistical mark. This season it's only happened 9 times in 33 games played.
With Paris, he's scored once every 4 shots and is decisive every 57 minutes, whether that's by scoring or with an assist. Since arriving in the capital, he's scored no fewer than 13 doubles, 4 hat-tricks and one quadruple. And all that without being the designated penalty taker. Visibly, it's with his right foot that the French international likes to make the net tremble : 18 goals with the left foot, 70 goals with the right foot and 2 headers
While Paris Saint-Germain are still involved in 4 competitions, it's a good bet that the striker from the Paris region will try to get through 100 goals in the Rouge et Bleu shirt this season.
Above all as the n°7 now has 51 league goals to his name since the start of last season. Only Lionel Messi (55 goals) has done better in the five major European leagues over this period...
