World Cup 2018: 5 of the youngest players going to Russia

Paris Saint Germain v Olympique Lyonnais - Ligue 1 — French star Kylian Mbappe is one of the youngest players at the 2018 World Cup

#2 Kylian Mbappe (19 years and 167 days)

FBL-WC-2018-FRA-TRAINING — Kylian Mbappe is a key figure in France's squad

Back in 2015, a 16-year-old Kylian Mbappe broke Thierry Henry's record as the youngest player to play for Monaco's senior team, and he has been on the rise ever since.

In the following season, Mbappe inspired the French side to beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title and was named as the Golden Boy in 2017.

The teenager was signed on loan by Paris Saint-German last summer, but soon a fee of £130 million was fixed for making the move permanent making him the second most expensive player in the history of football.

The 19-year-old will be a pivotal figure in Didier Deschamps' France team that is named as one of the early favourites to win the World Cup at Russia. Mbappe will team up with Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele and Atletico Madrid's Antonio Griezmann to form an attacking trio that every opponent will fear.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Anthony Akatugba Jr.