Mbappe takes his first step to PSG stardom on dream debut

It was an evening that Kylian Mbappe had been waiting his whole life for.

Even though he may be a devout fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, hometown club Paris Saint-Germain still holds a special place in his heart, and on Friday he finally had the opportunity to play competitively for the side he used to save his pocket money up to go and watch when he could afford to.

Ronaldinho was one of the players who caught the eye of the 18-year-old when he was growing up, but it took the great Brazilian over two months to score his first goal for the club. Mbappe, who had barely started school when the great entertainer turned out for PSG, did not even need two halves.

The 18-year-old said at his presentation, earlier this week, that he felt that signing for PSG was like “coming home”, and judging by the way he settled into his new side on debut, he also felt like that on the field.

He has shown, in his brief career, that he is a player capable of scoring every kind of goal, and as he pounced on a ricochet at the edge of the box to drill home a sweet first-time shot into the corner, there was little surprise at how easy he made an awkward opportunity look.

“I wanted to pass to Neymar but it was blocked. My reaction time was quicker than my opponents' and I put it in the corner,” he said after the game, making it all sound so easy as he squeezed into the history books as the Parc des Princes’ side’s 10th youngest scorer of all time.

It was a strike that dug PSG out of some trouble. Away to Metz with nearly an hour gone and the score locked at 1-1, albeit with the hosts reduced to 10 men, the Ligue 1 leaders were toiling. Mbappe’s contribution unlocked the door to a raft of late goals as they ran out 5-1 winners.

The outcome might have been flattering but there'd be few who would argue whether or not PSG deserved to make it five wins from five matches for the first time ever at the start of a Ligue 1 season.

Home boss Philippe Hinschberger was, however, left furious by the decision to send Assou-Ekotto off for a challenge on Mbappe minutes before the goal.

He was sent to the stands for his outburst and had not calmed down before speaking to the media. “We feel that the referee f*cked our week’s work into the air,” he fumed. “It was our first foul of the match. PSG had no need for it.”

Indeed, before that moment, Metz had threatened to cause a monumental upset. They had equalised Edinson Cavani’s opening goal when Newcastle flop Emmanuel Riviere headed home from close range, though the same player squandered a great chance to put them ahead early in the second half when he missed a completely empty net.

To that point, PSG had misfired. Sure, there had been moments of excellence from Neymar and Mbappe individually, but the home defence had stood firm against even the slickest sequences of passes that the Parc des Princes side had produced.

Teething problems were evident and these were exacerbated by Emery’s decision to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, which saw Neymar drift in from the left to occupy space that Mbappe would have wished to utilise.

Over the weeks, such issues should be ironed out. The players need time to get used to one another while the coach will find the best way to deploy them. Once that happens, there is the potential for magic.

“We’ll work step by step,” Emery said in what was a tacit confession that he is still getting to grips with the world’s most expensive strikeforce ever. “We’ll make our way with our ideas and our style. The system isn’t important, but for me, it’s important to balance attack and defence. With individual talent, we have to have tactical discipline.”

To achieve the discipline that the Spaniard craves, however, an understanding of the system and the others in it is required. That can only be achieved through time.

When afforded space against Metz, PSG showed just how devastating their attacking potential is. They are a team full of powerful runners, imaginative creators and, even if the finishing of Edinson Cavani can, at times, be erratic, the sheer number of goals they are capable of scoring is frightening.

PSG will hope that Mbappe is the final piece of their jigsaw. They have amassed an arsenal more expensive than any other in footballing history as they chase a first Champions League crown, a prize they hold above all others this season.

On Tuesday, they will take their first step in that competition when they visit Scottish champions Celtic – a notoriously raucous venue. Leading their charge will be Mbappe, who appears to have been born to wear their shirt.