5 times Kylian Mbappe has proved he is Cristiano Ronaldo's successor

Kylian Mbappe was the star of the show in Paris Saint-Germain's Round of 16 first-leg win against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. The Frenchman scored a brilliant hat-trick to give his side a significant three-goal advantage going into the second leg at home.

In a jaw-dropping performance, the 22-year-old reminded the football world that he is one of the best players in the game and a potential heir to Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mbappe scored his first of the night in the first half, twisting and turning in the box before lashing home to restore parity for PSG. The second came just after the hour mark when he reacted quickest to a half-clearance from Gerard Pique.

The PSG ace completed his hat-trick via another counter when substitute Julian Draxler carried the ball from his own half and set up the Frenchman. Kylian Mbappe did the honours, curling a sumptuous shot into the far corner to complete a fabulous hat-trick.

With several such Man-of-the-Match displays across his career, Kylian Mbappe has drawn comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, who is widely regarded as one of the finest players the game has ever seen.

Mbappe has stated in a previous interview that he has drawn inspiration from the five-time Ballon D'Or winner, and even had pictures of the Portuguese on his bedroom walls while growing up.

This comes as no surprise, as the Frenchman has mirrored Cristiano Ronaldo countless times with outstanding showings on the pitch. The two men possess similar playing styles; they both like to come in from the left with intelligent footwork before finishing chances centrally.

Kylian Mbappe has even gone as far as recreating goal celebrations, which Ronaldo used at various stages of his highly illustrious career. The two players also possess an inherent hunger to be better versions of themselves and achieve everything possible there is to achieve in the game.

Ronaldo is now aged 36, and although he is showing no signs of slowing down, it won't be long before the Juventus man calls time on his career.

He has, however, impacted many younger players over the years, particularly Kylian Mbappe, who appears destined to be the heir to the Portuguese's throne.

On that note, we look at five times Kylian Mbappe has proven to be Cristiano Ronaldo's successor.

#5 Early Days

Juventus vs AS Monaco - UEFA Champions League Semi-Final: Second Leg

AS Monaco are renowned for nurturing some of the world's best talents, and Kylian Mbappe fits perfectly into that list. The Frenchman graduated from the Monaco academy with high hopes, outperforming everyone in his age group.

The teenager was mainly a squad player in his first spell with the first team but soon established himself as a starter in the side the following season.

Kylian Mbappe contributed an outstanding 15 goals and eight assists in just 17 league starts and 26 goals in all competitions for The Red and Whites.

He made it to the Champions League semifinals with Monaco that season and won his first Ligue 1 title.

His string of eye-catching performances secured him a move to French giants PSG, with the youngster signing for the French capital side in a €180m deal, making him the second-most expensive transfer in football history.

Similarly, Ronaldo had arrived at Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon as a precocious teenager, and hasn't looked back since.

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#4 Kylian Mbappe's big-game performances

Club Brugge KV vs PSG: Group A - UEFA Champions League

An important trait of Cristiano Ronaldo is his ability to step up on the big stage against the best teams; Kylian Mbappe has that trait in abundance too.

Mbappe's jaw-dropping display against Barcelona at the Camp Nou is just one of many mesmerising showings the Frenchman has produced in his career.

Kylian Mbappe has now scored at least one Champions League goal at the Etihad, Anfield, Old Trafford, Camp Nou, Allianz Arena, Allianz Stadium, Signal Iduna Park and Santiago Bernabeu.

This achievement shows that the young man has the mental and physical ability to compete with the best in the world and come out on top, just like Cristiano Ronaldo.

#3 Kylian Mbappe's penchant for record-breaking

FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg

Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe's career has been marked by a knack for breaking records.

The France international made his senior debut for Monaco in December 2015, and scored his first senior goal two months later. In the process, he broke the record set by the great Thierry Henry as the youngest player and goal-scorer in the club’s history.

His big-money move to the French capital in the summer of 2017 made him the most expensive teenager in the game.

Kylian Mbappe then became the youngest player to score ten goals in the Champions League, reaching the landmark with a goal against Bayern Munich in December 2017.

He scored four goals in just 13 minutes in a 5-0 home victory over Lyon in his second season with PSG, becoming the youngest player to score four or more goals in the French league in 45 seasons.

The Frenchman has broken a plethora of other records, both for club and country, as he continues to tread the path Ronaldo once took.

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#2 Goal-scoring prowess

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most gifted footballers of all time, but his goal-scoring prowess stands him out from the rest.

Kylian Mbappe is a player with many attributes, but perhaps the most prominent of them all is his lethal goal-scoring prowess.

The 22-year-old can play anywhere across the front line, and one thing that is almost certain is his ability to execute in front of goal.

He scored 26 goals in his only season at Monaco. After moving to PSG, he did not relent, as he scored 21 goals in his debut season at the French capital.

He finished as the league's top scorer in his two subsequent seasons, scoring 33 and 18 goals respectively, winning the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award in the first season.

The Frenchman has scored 111 goals for PSG in just 153 games, currently sitting in third place in the all time list of goal-scorers for the club.

Meanwhile, before turning 23, Cristiano Ronaldo had scored 82 goals; this mark has been surpassed by Kylian Mbappe with his mind-boggling scoring rate.

#1 International glory

France vs Croatia - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final

Cristiano Ronaldo was just 18 years old when he made his first appearance for Portugal against Kazakhstan in August 2003.

As a teenager, he reached the Euro final on home soil against Greece, but it would be 12 more years before Ronaldo won his first trophy in international football. However, Kylian Mbappe has fared better on this front.

Kylian Mbappe made his senior international debut in 2017, coming on against Luxembourg in the 78th minute to become the second-youngest ever player to appear for France.

He then scored his first international goal later that year in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against the Netherlands.

At the 2018 World Cup, Kylian Mbappe scored his goal in the tournament in France's 1-0 win over Peru to become the youngest French goal-scorer at the World Cup.

Mbappe was named man of the match in France's Round of 16 tie against Lionel Messi's Argentina, where he scored twice and won a penalty in the 4-3 win over the Albiceleste. That made him only the second teenager to score two goals in a World Cup game since Pele.

There was better to come from Kylian Mbappe. In the final against Croatia, he netted France's fourth of the game to emulate Pele.

Kylian Mbappe's four goals in the tournament earned him the Best Young Player award. He has not looked back since then, thrilling the footballing world with superb performances.