Kylian Mbappe is a monster at 22: Better than Messi & Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappe is one of the most prolific young stars in world football, having achieved so much in such a little time in his career. At just 22 years old, Mbappe has won almost all titles or honours possible, the only outstanding ones being the UEFA Champions League at club level (and the other competitions/trophies that come with that), the Euros at the national team level, and the Ballon d'Or on an individual level. 

For the past 15 years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been the gold standard for all other footballers. Ronaldo shot into the limelight at age 19 while Lionel Messi became a star at Barcelona before his 18th birthday. Both players had achieved incredible records before their 22nd birthday but Kylian Mbappe has had a head start on both stars, being in the limelight with Monaco since age 17. Thus, after almost 5 years of being In the limelight and playing top-flight football, we'll look at the achievements of the 3 players at 22.

Lionel Messi league records at 22

When Lionel Messi turned 22, he had made 33 appearances in the Spanish La Liga for FC Barcelona, starting 28 times and playing a total of 2452 minutes in the league. Messi had also scored 17 goals and made 7 assists in the league. 

Cristiano Ronaldo league records at 22

Portuguese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo was playing at Manchester United having moved from Sporting Lisbon. As at age 22, Ronaldo had made 26 league appearances, starting 23 times and playing a total of 1987 minutes across both the Portuguese Primera Liga and the English Premier League. Ronaldo had not scored any goal in the league and had made only 5 assists. 

Kylian Mbappe's league records at 22

Kylian Mbappe edges both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by a long stretch when it comes to league records at the age of 22. At 22, Kylian Mbappe had made 41 league appearances, playing a total of 3086 minutes and starting 34 times. At this stage, Mbappe had scored a total of 24 goals and made 16 assists.