"Even Pele never did it in a final" - France legend wowed by Kylian Mbappe's 2022 FIFA World Cup performance against Argentina

France legend Frank Leboeuf has showered praise on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker Kylian Mbappe for his standout performance in Les Bleus' 2022 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Argentina.

Mbappe, 24, became the second player to bag a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup final during France's comeback against Lionel Scaloni's side in Lusail, Qatar, on Sunday (December 18). He netted twice in two minutes to force the match into extra time and scored a 118th-minute equalizer to tie the contest at 3-3 at the end of regulation time.

However, the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner failed to lift the prestigious trophy for the second successive time in the end. Despite his successful spot-kick in the resulting shootout, France slumped to a 4-2 loss on penalties due to Emiliano Martinez's goalkeeping heroics.

Speaking to SafeBettingSites, Leboeuf shared his thoughts on Mbappe's excellent outing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. He said:

"I would say that for 75 minutes, I would rank his performance like all the France players that we saw on the field – very close to zero. But after that, he did what great players do. They are capable of changing the spirit of the game and being exceptional."

Expressing his surprise to the France star's feat, Leboeuf added:

"We haven't seen a player scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966. So it's a miracle. Even Pele never did it in a final. He did it in a semi-final against France in 1958. What's also incredible is that Mbappe scored three penalties against a goalkeeper, who is one of the biggest specialists at saving penalties."

The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner concluded:

"So, it was a great performance by him because you don't score hat-tricks every day. But in the final of the World Cup? My God! It's not even a dream, it's kind of a fantasy. So it's great. I was pleased for him but so disappointed for him at the end of the game."

Mbappe is next expected to be in action for PSG in a 2022-23 Ligue 1 encounter against Strasbourg on Wednesday (December 28).

France star Kylian Mbappe adviced to leave PSG, 2 future destinations named

Speaking on Sports 18, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney urged Kylian Mbappe to depart PSG in the future. He said:

"I think he needs to go to the Premier League. PSG is a massive club, but I think he's done everything he can in the Ligue 1. If he needs to reach the level of [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I think he needs to join Manchester United or Real Madrid."

Operating as a main striker, the former Monaco man has scored 19 goals and laid out five assists in 20 games for PSG this season.