Heir apparent Mbappe hailed
Former players gush over Ronaldo and Messi's potential Ballon d'Or successor
France's teenage phenom Kylian Mbappe was not only crowned a World Cup winner yesterday morning (Singapore time), he was anointed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's heir by a series of gushing former players.
Messi and Ronaldo have had a stranglehold on football's premier individual accolade, the Ballon d'Or, since 2008, but pundits believe that dominance is about to end sooner rather than later.
In Russia, only Harry Kane scored more goals than the 19-year-old, with the World Cup's Best Young Player's blend of acceleration and skill making him look unplayable at times.
Before the 4-2 final win over Croatia, during which he became the second youngest player after Pele to score in football's showpiece match, the Paris Saint-Germain player shrugged off Ballon d'Or talk saying, "I do not care about the Ballon d'Or".
But former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand believes Mbappe's name will soon be engraved on the trophy.
He told the BBC: "Mbappe is the guy that Ronaldo and Messi are handing the crown over to.
"He is the guy who will be standing up on that Ballon d'Or podium in years to come. Easy.
"I hope my old club are chasing him. He has that connection with Paul Pogba, too."
There's no hope of that happening any time soon, with Mbappe batting away talk that he could be Ronaldo's replacement at Real Madrid by insisting he is "100 per cent" certain to stay at PSG.
But former Germany player and coach Juergen Klinsmann insists that the world's second most expensive player could shake up the transfer market again. He told the BBC: "There is so much to come down the road.
"He is shaking up the market. With Ronaldo moving (to Juventus) and (PSG's) Neymar being linked with other clubs, where is it finishing with this kid?
"What impresses me most is that he looks so comfortable in this (France) side, as if he's been playing in it for 10 years."
Brazil's former Ballon d'Or winner Kaka, too, hailed Mbappe's maturity, telling Omnisport: "He is also just 19, but he sometimes seems like he is 35 - very mature, controls the game, good choices.
"I think he's got a very, very good future and to see a 19-year-old performing like he is performing at this World Cup - we are blessed."
Former World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff, meanwhile, joked that his compatriot is making "oldies" like Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar obsolete.
He told French newspaper Le Figaro: "When you see Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar, they've been practically obsolete in comparison to Mbappe. He's made them old... He's got some way to go, but he will be the best player in the world."
However, former Brazilian international Julio Baptista believes some people are getting carried away with the Mbappe hype. He told Goal.com: "I think you have to be careful with how quickly you judge...
"You have to be calm and patient because there have been many good young players, like Ronaldo or Pele. He is a great player, he is developing really well and we expect a lot from him.
"But it was not for nothing that they called Ronaldo 'The Phenomenon', right?
"You have to give space, time for the player to grow and not harm him by making him believe something he is not yet."
Mbappe, himself, believes his journey is just starting, saying: "I have a story to write, this is just the beginning. I intend to go even further."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now