Top 5 footballers of 2018

#1 Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe is one of the best prodigies in history

If 2017 which saw Kylian Mbappe win the Golden Boy award for his performance with Monaco was exceptional, then there might not be words to describe the exponential increase in his performances in 2018.

The Frenchman became the second most expensive player of all time following his record-breaking transfer from Monaco to PSG, but the youngster seems to be unfazed by the challenge.

After a relatively subpar first season with PSG, the prodigy took his performance to the next stage, showcasing his abilities on the grandest stage, wowing the world with his scintillating performances at the World Cup.

Mbappe's most dominant match (among many) at the mundial perhaps came in the second round fixture against Argentina. The Frenchman shone like a million stars, outperforming the legendary Lionel Messi as France knocked out Argentina, with Mbappe becoming the first teenager since Pele (more on him later) in 1958 to score a brace in a World Cup match.

Mbappe was the star of a youthful French side which powered its way to the final, with the PSG forward scoring four goals, one of which came in the 4-2 final defeat of Croatia (which once again made him the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since the legendary Pele himself did so against Sweden).

Mbappe's displays this year saw him named into the FIFPro XI for 2018 (once again the first teenager to make the list), while also achieving credible finishes in the Ballon d'Or and FIFA Best votes and winning the inaugural Trophy Kopa.

So far this season, Mbappe (who finally aged past his teens) has continued from where he stopped off and currently leads the scorers' charts in Ligue 1 with 13 goals (matching his tally from last season) while also contributing four assists to help PSG maintain an unbeaten start to the domestic season.