THE DECADE IS HIS
n January, when Paris Saint-Germain were preparing to unveil I their fourth kit, there was one certainty; one player in the frame to front it. It wasn’t Neymar, Thiago Silva nor Angel Di Maria; it was always going to be Kylian Mbappe. In that picture taken in the Parc des Princes’ home team dressing room, the forward – adorned in the menacing black strip of France’s biggest football club – was more prominent than anyone else. Triumphing like a Roman emperor, he had Neymar to his right and Thiago Silva perching on the left, while Mauro Icardi and Marquinhos sunk into the background.
But then that’s just how things are these days. Mbappe, 21 years old, is the face of PSG. Neymar may have been their best player this season, and the Brazilian’s status as the most famous member of the squad is unquestioned, but this is Mbappe’s club now. He ticks all the boxes: a born-and-bred Parisian with limitless ambition, capable of taking the team to new heights,
