Pele hails Kylian Mbappe, says he can become the next 'Pele'

What's the story?

Brazilian legend and one of all time greats, Pele, has hailed France and Paris Saint-Germain starlet Kylian Mbappe by saying that the young forward has all the talent and ambitions to match his own achievements in the near future.

Although Kylian Mbappe's career is still in it's initial stages, he is already a World Cup winner at just 20 years of age and has won a series of domestic titles with Paris Saint-Germain.

In case you didn't know...

Pele is considered to be one the greatest footballers in the history of the sport, having helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1958 when he was just 17. He would go on to win another two World Cups in 1962 and 1970 and is also the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games.

Like the great Pele, Mbappe burst on to the scene of world football when he was just a teenager. He became Monaco's youngest-ever first-team player aged 16 years 347 days when he came on as a substitute against Caen in December 2015.

The French teenager soon became a regular in the Monaco team in the following season, helping the club to the 2016-17 Ligue 1 title aged just 18.

His transfer to European giants Paris Saint-Germain only confirmed more silverware as he has been a serial match winner with them and helped them win domestic titles with relative ease.

The heart of the matter

But it was in 2018 when Kylian Mbappe justified the hype surrounding him at the biggest stage of world football. He scored four goals for France as they won the World Cup and also won the Best Young Player award in the process.

The three time World Cup winner was full of praise for the 20-year-old, claiming that Mbappe is well on his way to match his great accolades.

"He won the World Cup at nineteen, I was only seventeen,” Pele told France football, as quoted by goal.

“I teased him saying he had almost equalized. I think he can become the new Pele! Many people think I said that to laugh, but no, it's not a joke." he added.

What's next?

Although it remains to be seen whether Kylian Mbappe can get sustained success like the great Pele, the comparison is certainly not that unrealistic. There is no doubt that if Mbappe keep charming the world with his stellar displays, his staggering numbers would rise and justify Pele's praise in near future.