Where does Kylian Mbappe rank among top 100 athletes of 21st century? Real Madrid star behind 4 women’s football icons
ESPN have announced the top-100 athletes across sports in the 21st century, both current and retired, with Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe finding himself outside the top-60.
The top-four athletes are swimming legend Michael Phelps, followed by retired women's tennis player Serena Williams, Argentina football team captain Lionel Messi and Los Angeles Lakers basketball player LeBron James.
Former NFL star Tom Brady, men's tennis legend Roger Federer, women's gymnast Simone Biles and golf legend Tiger Woods are the next four athletes. Track and field legend Usain Bolt and late basketball player Kobe Bryant round up the top-10.
Some of the other top women's athletes ranked above Mbappe are swimmer Katie Ledecky (No. 15), WNBA legend Diana Taurasi (No. 21), Brazilian women's football player Marta (No. 32), Barcelona women's football star Aitana Bonmati (No. 49).
The new Real Madrid striker - who arrived on a free transfer this summer - finds himself at No. 65. ESPN wrote about the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner:
"Currently the best soccer player in the world, Mbappé has followed the path of an absolute prodigy of the game. He made his professional debut at 16, scored his first goal at 17, played for France at 18 and won the World Cup at 19!
"His move from PSG to Real Madrid this summer will take him to new heights and will strengthen even more his status as the heir of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo."
ESPN formulated the list by asking individual sports experts to rank their top athletes since January 1, 2000, with each sport comprising lists of 10-25 athletes. After 'repeated, randomised head-to-head matchups' and over 70,000 votes cast using an ELO rating system, an expert panel whittled the list of 262 to 100.
Real Madrid unveil Kylian Mbappe in glittering ceremony
Real Madrid unveiled their new 'galactico' signing, striker Kylian Mbappe, in a glittering ceremony earlier this week at the Santiago Bernabeu where the club's record 15 UEFA Champions League titles were on display.
The 25-year-old arrives after a prolific seven-season stay at PSG - where he scored a record 256 goals and won titles galore - but the UEFA Champions League remained elusive.
Following a rather lean Euro 2024 campaign with France - one goal and two assists in five games - Mbappe will hope to hit the ground running at his new surroundings. His competitive Real Madrid debut is expected to be in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta in Warsaw on August 14.