Kylian Mbappe is having the season of his life. The French star scored his 17th career hattrick as France romped to a 14-0 victory over Gibraltar. Mbappe’s last match for PSG also saw him blitz a hattrick against Reims, a performance that was strangely criticized by coach Luis Enrique. Yet admirers continue to grow for the PSG attacker as a former French legend raved about the generational star.

His performance on the night saw Mbappe creating 5 records, both team and individual ones. The most significant was after his third goal, a long-range stunner from near the halfway line that lobbed the goalkeeper. A goal that also propelled Mbappe past the 300-goal mark.

Former French legend praises ‘once-in-a-decade’ star Kylian Mbappe

There’s no one like former French player and current Georgia National Team Manager Willy Sagnol who has an in-depth knowledge of soccer players. In a recent interview, Sagnol was quizzed on how Mbappe would have fared in an early period. His response was quite straightforward.

Sagnol said, “Kylian Mbappé, whether he plays in the 2020s, 1980s or 1960s, would have broken through in exactly the same way”. It appears that Sagnol rates Mbappe as one of the best French players. He added, “Because like Zidane, Henry or Platini, players like that (Mbappe), it happens once a decade.” Kylian Mbappe certainly wouldn’t mind being compared to those legends.

Sagnol also spoke about the evolution of soccer in terms of social status and financial gains for the players. He said, “Thirty years ago when I was very young, football was just a sport. There was no talk of social advancement, of large sums of money”. On the other hand, players today look at soccer as a means of social success and a way to make a lot of money as per the French legend. Perhaps, is Sagnol implying that he is not fond of modern-day soccer players.

One thing is for certain, Sagnol is a huge fan Mbappe fan, and for the right reasons. Mbappe’s performance against Gibraltar saw him break a record set by Lionel Messi himself.

Read More: 5 Records Created As Kylian Mbappe Shines During France’s Record-Breaking 14-0 Win Against Gibraltar

Mbappe smashes 11-year-old Messi record as he surpasses the 300-goal mark

As Kylian Mbappe scored his 3rd goal against Gibraltar, he broke a record set by Lionel Messi in 2012. Mbappe is now the youngest player to reach 300 career goals. He achieved the feat in 24 years and 10 months compared to the 25 years and 4 months taken by Messi.

However, it appears that Mbappe has some lofty ambitions. After the match, he told TF1 about players who have scored 800+ goals in their careers. It is evident he is referring to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Perhaps, that is the benchmark for the extra-ordinary French attacker.

Do you think Kylian Mbappe can win the Ballon d’Or in the post-Messi-Ronaldo period? Let us know in the comments below.

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