Why Kylian Mbappe should stay at Monaco for at least another year

Kylian Mbappe: Another star from Monaco’s fabled academy

So there is this 18-year-old kid who has scored 26 goals and assisted eight times this season and to add to that, did something Lionel Messi still hasn’t: score against the great Gianluigi Buffon. Indeed, Messi, aged 18, couldn’t do a lot of things that this youngster has.

For starters, it wasn’t until he reached 21 that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored over 20 goals in a season. Kylian Mbappe did it at 18. The Argentina captain was 20 – and had played over 15 games – when he reached six goals in the Champions League. Mbappe did it at 18.

Not bad for an 18-year-old, eh?

Mbappe is supremely talented and could be the next dominating figure in football. In fact, if what we witnessed this season was only a demo, then he might as well go on to become the first player to break the Messi-Cristiano duopoly.

So, a move to a big club would be the next logical thing, wouldn’t it? But here’s the thing: Kylian Mbappe should stay at AS Monaco for another season before finally spring-boarding himself to a European supergiant. 

Some might not like this idea because, to them, he is a supreme talent who is just too good to fade away like the Robinhos or the Gagos. And I concur; he is, indeed, one of a kind. But, look, here is the thing: while this might be a kid so good that he could make a mannequin dance to the hypnotic movements of his feet, it is not the time for him to move just yet.

This is not about his talent – something he has in abundance – rather, this is about the hype surrounding him.

He might have to reconsider that celebration style

With his first full season at the club, he has shot himself as one of Europe’s hottest property—if not the hottest. Such is the limelight around him that Monaco know that they not only have a great potential in their hands but also a money magnet.

It is of little wonder, then, as to why the French teenager falls in the €100 million category in all the transfer rumours linking him to other clubs. Even a club like Arsenal, who are not known to spend extravagantly, are being linked with a move for the youngster in that bracket.

This is a hype of the highest calibre. While there is little doubt that the wonderkid will succeed as a footballer, moving under such conditions would do more harm than good.

So what’s the harm if he is too talented to succeed anyway?

Pressure, people, pressure.

At this point of time, after just one wonderful season under his belt, he is not worth the amount that is being touted for him. Mind you, his potential might be, but currently, he isn’t. As a result, a move right now for an astronomical fee would put him under the pressure to perform.

The fans, the media – almost everyone will look at him with the expectancy of a world class performance every time he steps on to the pitch. Not that this won’t happen in some of them, but for a teenager, this is too much unnecessary stress with too little experience to deal with it.

If, however, he stays and continues performing with Monaco, he will get closer to deserving the price tag that now hangs over his head. Given that the fee is already sky-high, it won’t increase by much should he keep performing at Monaco.

He will mature with age and have more experience dealing with the intricacies of the limelight, making him better equipped for a move. If, however, he moves and fails to deal with the pressure, the rival fans and media will pounce on him like vultures on dead meat – and how he responds to that will determine his career graph.

Right now, he is just a kid who still lives in Monaco’s academy and works with his heads down. However, things won’t be the same after a big money move and he will have to adapt to the change – and the more experience he has under his belt, the more prepared he will be.

Mbappe might only be 18 years old, but his amazing talent means that he will be a starter at almost any club. If he leaves now, in the worst case scenario, he will fail to cope up with the pressure and will be loaned back to Monaco or some other club to regain his form.

Now, this kid is so talented that he will certainly get back to his best and then be called back by the club that initially signed him from Monaco. But all this fuss can be avoided by simply staying for at least another season in France.

Regardless of what happens, the young Frenchman is destined to be a player of the elite-level – it is just a matter of when. I am six years older than him and I would buy a shirt with his name on the back and proudly wear it to work every day (if I get employed, that is), that’s how much he has spellbound the fraternity with his grace

And, for the sake of Mbappe’s football development––and also my financial stability––I just hope that it is a Monaco shirt from next season that I would be donning to work.