#4 Will there be another Kylian Mbappe?
Prior to 2016/17, Kylian Mbappe was a largely unknown prospect playing for Monaco – he’d only made 14 first-team appearances for the club and the idea of a world-record transfer fee being discussed around his name would’ve seemed insane.
Mbappe’s performances in the Champions League last season changed all of that though and made him into Europe’s hottest property. Sure, he also scored 15 goals in the French league, but it was his Champions League showings – six goals in all of the knockout stages against Man City, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus – that really opened eyes.
His thunderous half-volley against Man City in the first leg of their tie made him the second-youngest French scorer in the competition’s history, and he never looked back.
With plenty of young talent in the Champions League this season, including the likes of Saul Niguez, Ousmane Dembele, Dele Alli, Christian Pulisic and Gabriel Jesus, the chances of someone shooting to superstardom through their performances have to be pretty high. And of course, Mbappe himself will be in the competition again – whether that’s for Monaco, or one of Europe’s bigger fish remains to be seen.
Perhaps a relative unknown won’t explode onto the scene in a similar way, but the Champions League is definitely ready for a young talent to make their name there again, and it should be fun to find out exactly who that is.
