The stats that show why Kylian Mbappe is NOT Pele
Some within football have been quick to anoint Kylian Mbappe 'the new Pele', a flattering, if wildly inaccurate burden to lump on the French teenager, as these stunning stats reveal.
It's the favoured past-time of the couch football pundit: searching for the modern equivalent of a past legend. So it is that Kylian Mbappe, the French wizard not yet 20 years-of-age, whose trophy cabinet already contains a Jules Rimet to go with numerous domestic titles, is being lavishly dubbed the new 'Pele'.
A cursory glance at the statistics of the old Pele suggests that the comparison is flattering if not flawed.
Mbappe himself has recently moved to play down comparisons to the Brazilian icon.
One need only look at what Pele achieved prior to his 20th birthday to see where the PSG star is coming from.
Age at a FIFA World Cup Final:
- Pele: 19 years, 6 months, 25 days
- Mbappe: 17 years, 8 months, 6 days
Goals in their first FIFA World Cup:
- Pele: 6
- Mbappe: 4
Best Young Player awards:
- Pele: 1
- Mbappe: 1
Goals after 22 caps:
- Pele: 25
- Mbappe: 8
Domestic honours:
- Pele: 1 (Sao Paulo State Championship)
- Mbappe: 4 (Ligue 1 2x, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue)