Six observations from the 2018 World Cup
The 21st edition of the World Cup came to an end on Sunday, with France claiming their second title after defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
The tournament was characterized by new innovations including the introduction of VAR and the use of a fourth substitute in extra time. The World Cup also set new records for own goals scored, penalties awarded and penalties saved.
As with any other tournament, there were plenty of observations made and lessons learned. I present the top six observations the 2018 World Cup.
#1 Kylian Mbappe is the leader of a talented next generation of players
The World Cup is always a stage for the breakout of young players. Historically, players like Pele, Michael Owen, and Franz Beckenbauer have used the World Cup as a platform to launch themselves onto the global stage, while players like Podolski, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ozil and James Rodriguez have done so in recent editions.
The 2018 edition was no exception, witnessing standout performances from a plethora of young players. Jose Gimenez showed that he has come of age with his partnership for club and country with Diego Godin reaping dividends as the Uruguayan defence was an almost impregnable rock and the 23-year-old scored a vital late winner in his country's opening game against Egypt.
Rodrigo Bentancur of Uruguay was also another impressive youngster, with the 21-year-old showing great composure in the heart of Uruguay's midfield, World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard was one of the standout right-backs of the World Cup and the 22-year-old scored a contender for goal of the tournament with his exquisite strike from outside the box against Argentina.
There were also impressive performances from 19-year-old Deportivo goalie Francis Uzoho in the Nigerian goal, while another teenager Hirving Lozano was arguably Mexico's standout player and scored the winning goal against Germany.
The best of the pick, however, has to be Kylian Mbappe. Long touted to be a future star of the game following his record-breaking debut season for Monaco, the current Golden Boy holder reemphasized that view with a breathtaking performance at the World Cup.
The 19-year-old PSG attacker churned out performances that belied his age and his change of pace and trickery was a thorn-in-the-flesh for many a defender who he came up against in the World Cup.
No teenager in history has had such an impact on the World Cup since the legendary Pele at 17 in 1958 and Mbappe equalled a number of his records in this World Cup. His brace against Argentina in the second round made him the first teenager since Pele to score two in a World Cup match and his spectacular goal from outside the box against Croatia in the final meant he became the first teenager to score in a final since (you guessed right....) Pele in 1958).
Mbappe was deservedly named Young Player of the Tournament and it was symbolic that his standout performance came on the same day that Messi and Ronaldo got eliminated. This World Cup showed that the next generation of players are ready to take over the world stage, and if he can continue with his early career promise, then Mbappe would undoubtedly be the best player for some years to come.