Pele: ‘Mbappe can become my heir … I see myself in his ability to play fast’

With his head-turning performances in the world cup, Kylian Mbappe is undoubtedly one of the top 3 footballers in the planet and possibly the best of his generation but how does he compare with players from the past? Last year, Pele had anointed Kylian Mbappe as his possible “heir”.
“Mbappé can become my heir, and I’m not saying that as a joke,” Pele had told La Gazzetta Dello Sport. “I see myself in his to play fast. He is a striker who thinks quickly. When the ball arrives, he already knows what to do, he already has in mind where to go and how to direct the game to find the best solution. These are also important characterics in today’s football. And then Kylian is also fast in running and dribbling, like me.”

A inspiração e o amor marcaram a jornada de Rei Pelé, que faleceu no dia de hoje.
Amor, amor e amor, para sempre..Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today.
Love, love and love, forever. pic.twitter.com/CP9syIdL3i
— Pelé (@Pele) December 29, 2022
They had met for a promotional event and Mbappe had told France Football magazine about how over-awed he was about meeting Pele.

“I didn’t sleep well the night before because I was asking myself a lot of questions … I was a bit afraid of being stupid in front of him,” Mbappe said. “He is like a monument. I had the impression of finding myself at the bottom of a mountain, without a plan to climb to the top. And when I saw the shining eyes of the journals during the press conference, I told myself that I was not the only one to be captivated the man who was next to me.”
Mbappe then revealed what Pele told him, then.
“This image of his face smiling to welcome me, I will remember it all my life. He kept telling me, when we were face to face, that I reminded him of him when he was younger. Physically, but also in my behavior. He was staring at me and I have the impression that he saw himself again a little. It was even a bit embarrassing … He was so benevolent, a bit like a grandfather with his grandson.”

After the world cup in 2018, Pele would send Mbappe a signed jersey: “Always stay humble and work hard. I am sure you will. I believe you have something special.”
When Pele was sick last month, Mbappe would tweet from the Qatar world cup: “Let us pray for the king”. And Pele’s reply was charming: “Thank you my friend, I am delighted to have seen you break another of my records in the World Cup.”

The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten. RIP KING 💔👑… pic.twitter.com/F55PrcM2Ud
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) December 29, 2022
And when Pele died, Mbappe posted a picture of them with the text: “The King of football has left us, but his legacy will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, king.”