Every soccer fan knows him, the French superstar Kylian Mbappé. While we used to talk mainly about Ronaldo and Messi, in the coming decades, it will most likely be about Kylian Mbappé. But what makes Mbappe so good?
His speed, good dribble, great passing, power, and fantastic finishing, make Kylian Mbappe so good and one of the best players in the world. These traits allow him to put up amazing statistics, making him the top scorer in the French Ligue 1 and providing the most assists.
In this article, I'll take a closer look at what exactly makes Mbappe so good and how good he is compared to other top players. So read on to find out!
It's no secret that Kylian Mbappé is considered one of the best soccer players in the world, and at such a young age, he's only going to get better.
Even though he's still young, Mbappé has already won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Nations League, and five Ligue 1 titles in France.
Having recently signed a new contract with his boyhood team - Paris Saint-Germain, he is reportedly now the highest-paid soccer player in the world as well.
But what is it that makes Mbappé so good? Why is it that every soccer team in the world wants to sign him? And is Mbappé the best player in the world right now?
Below I will explain the main traits that make Mbappé so good.
If you were to ask any random soccer fan what makes Mbappé so good? The first answer you'd get would probably be his speed, and they wouldn't be wrong.
In fact, Kylian Mbappé is seen by many as the fastest soccer player in the world right now, and the stats back it up.
Mbappé's highest measured top speed is 23.6 mph (38 km/h). His highest speed with the ball is 22.41 mph (36.08 km/h).
This makes Mbappé the fastest soccer player in the world, along with Adama Traore, who doesn't even come close to matching Mbappé's other skills.
Below are the current top 10 fastest soccer players in the world:
Player: | Top Speed: |
---|---|
1. Kylian Mbappé | 23.6 mph (38 km/h) |
Adama Traore | 23.6 mph (38k m/h) |
2. Kyle Walker | 23.49 mph (37.8 km/h) |
3. Aaron Wan Bissaka | 23.35 mph (37.6 km/h) |
4. Ainsley Maitland-Niles | 23.26 mph (37.44 km/h) |
5. Fred | 23.16 mph (37.3 km/h) |
6. Phil Foden | 23.06 mph (37.1 km/h) |
7. Gareth Bale | 22.92 mph (36.9 km/h) |
8. Antonio Rudiger | 22.8 mph (36.69 km/h) |
9. Mohamed Salah | 22.74 mph (36.59 km/h) |
10. Alphonso Davies | 22.7 mph (36.5 km/h) |
Impressively, Mbappé's top speed was higher than Usain Bolt's average speed when he broke the 100m world record in 2009.
It's not just Mbappé's physical speed that makes him so good. His quick thinking and fast decision-making also make him a top player.
You can have all the speed in the world, but knowing how and when to use it is what makes the elite players stand out from the good ones.
When watching Mbappé play, you'll often see him spot a gap in the defense and exploit it before the opposition defenders have a chance to react.
You'll also sometimes see Mbappé beginning his run a few seconds before his teammate passes him the ball. This gives him a headstart on whoever is unlucky enough to be marking him.
This shows that Mbappé can read the game much quicker than opposition players.
Of course, many of the reasons Mbappé is so fast are his natural ability and having a smaller body frame, which can be beneficial to acceleration.
Looking at the way Mbappé runs, however, shows he's probably had some specialist training.
If you were to watch Mbappé running next to a professional sprinter, you would probably notice the similarities.
If you watch Mbappé run, he keeps a straight line from his foot up to his head. This is called hip extension; a tactic professional runners use to generate more power.
He also lands with his foot flat under his body rather than in front of him. This is so he has more power when he lifts off again.
So looking at this, it shows that Mbappé has trained himself to run in a way that sets him apart from everyone else.
So now you know that Mbappé's blistering speed helps make him one of the world's best players, but what else makes him so good?
Standing at 5ft 10in and weighing only 160lbs, Mbappé is far from being a big player. However, this hasn't stopped him from being one of the strongest.
Most fast players usually have a reputation for going down easy under contract.
Mbappé, however, is surprisingly physical and will often try to stay on his feet if there's an opportunity to score a goal.
A lot of the reason for Mbappé's strength is due to his very strict diet and exercise plan.
It is said that Mbappé receives cryotherapy in order to heal quickly from injuries and build up more strength.
Cryotherapy (sometimes known as cold therapy) is a treatment where low temperatures are used to freeze abnormal skin cells and reduce swelling in joints and tendons.
The use of this treatment means Mbappé is stronger and more resilient to injuries that might slow him down or make him weaker.
Mbappé follows a strict diet that does not allow for any sugar intake. Instead, the Frenchman makes sure to have lots of proteins and complex carbohydrates. All of this adds to his overall strength.
Mbappé's strength plays into his incredible finishing as well. The power behind Mbappé's shots is definitely another reason why he is so good.
Before his 23rd birthday, Mbappé became the youngest player to score 100 goals for a single team in France's top league since records began.
By the beginning of 2022, Mbappé had surpassed the 200-goal mark across both club and country with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
In the 2021/22 season. Kylian Mbappé was the top scorer in the French league. Below are the top 10 scorers in Ligue 1:
Player | Team | Total goals |
---|---|---|
1. K. Mbappé | PSG | 28 |
2. W. Ben Yedder | AS Monaco | 25 |
3. M. Terrier | Stade Rennais | 21 |
4. M. Dembele | Olympique Lyon | 21 |
5. A. Delort | OGC Nice | 18 |
6. G. Laborde | Stade Rennais | 15 |
7. J. David | LOSC Lille | 15 |
8. M. Bayo | Clermont Foot | 14 |
9. Neymar Jr | PSG | 13 |
10. R. Kolo Ekambi | FC Nantes | 12 |
Not only is Mbappé the fastest player on the planet, but he is also one of the best dribblers as well.
In the 2021/22 season, Kylian Mbappé averaged 3.2 successful dribbles per game in the French Ligue 1. He averaged 2.9 successful dribbles per game in the Champions League and 2.5 successful dribbles in Euro 2020.
To put this into context, Mbappé's PSG teammate, Lionel Messi, averaged 2.5 successful dribbles in the league.
While Cristiano Ronaldo only averaged 0.7 successful dribbles per game in the 2021/22 Premier League season.
So Mbappé has speed, strength, and dribbling skills, but can he pass the ball? Unsurprisingly, the answer is yes.
In the 2021/22 Ligue 1 season, Mbappé averaged 38.3 passes and 2 key passes per game. In the 2021/22 Champions League, Mbappé averaged 32.5 passes and 1.5 key passes per game.
Mbappé also had 17 assists in Ligue 1 and 4 assists in the Champions League.
Not only was Mbappé the top scorer in Ligue 1 in 2022, but he also topped the table for most assists.
Below are the top 10 for most assists in the 2021/22 Ligue 1 season:
Player | Team | Total assists |
---|---|---|
1. K. Mbappé | PSG | 17 |
2. L. Messi | PSG | 14 |
3. B. Bourigeaud | Stade Rennais | 13 |
4. J. Clauss | RC Lens | 11 |
5. A. Gouiri | OGC Nice | 9 |
6. K. Volland | AS Monaco | 9 |
7. H. Traore | Stade Rennais | 9 |
8. D. Payet | Olympique Marseille | 9 |
9. G. Laborde | Stade Rennais | 8 |
10. C. Henrique | AS Monaco | 8 |
As all the stats above show, there's no doubt that Mbappé is the best player in Ligue 1 right now. But what about the rest of the world?
In all competitions combined, for both club and country, Mbappé scored a total of 58 goals with 24 assists over the 2021/22 season.
Now let's see how that compares to some of the best players in the world.
During the same time period, Cristiano Ronaldo only managed 31 goals with 5 assists. Lionel Messi only had 17 goals with 14 assists.
This means Mbappé outdid both Ronaldo and Messi in the 2021/22 season.
With that being said, both Ronaldo and Messi are approaching the end of their careers, so let's look to compare Mbappé with some younger superstars.
Erling Haaland was able to score more goals than Mbappé, with 42 goals scored compared to Mbappé's 31. However, he only achieved 8 assists compared to Mbappé's 14.
Mbappé also beats Haaland when it comes to dribbles per game, with Mbappé achieving 3.2 dribbles per game compared to Haaland's 0.5.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr also falls just under Mbappé in almost every department, as does Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, and Liverpool's Mo Salah.
As we've already touched on, Mbappé is the fastest soccer player in the world, meaning he is currently faster than every player we've just mentioned.
So if we're strictly going by recent stats, it stands to reason that Kylian Mbappé is the best soccer player in the world right now.
That said, who any soccer fan thinks is the best player is completely subjective.
It's also worth noting that Mbappé has only ever played his club soccer in France.
Many soccer fans consider the French league to be a lot easier than leagues such as the English Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, and Spain's La Liga.
So there is something to be said for Mbappé having to play in another country before being considered the world's best.
Mbappé's natural high speed and running technique, alongside a strict diet and training schedule, is what makes him so good.
He is also a naturally gifted soccer player in almost every department.
In the 2021/22 season, Mbappé had the most goals and assists in France's Ligue 1.
Along with his blistering speed and successful dribble rate, there's no denying he's the best soccer player in that league. Whether or not he's the best player in the world is probably up for debate, but his stats don't lie.