Recently, during James' European tour held by the NBA, James himself came to Paris, France, and had an interview with Mbappe, a core player of the Paris Saint-Germain team and the most popular football player. We had a lot of exchanges after meeting. On one side is an NBA legend, and on the other is a popular young talent in football.
Perhaps the meeting between the two is a special experience for both parties. The 19-year-old Mbappe is already full of honors. He has the World Cup championship in hand and is ranked fourth in the Ballon d'Or. This is an achievement that many players will never achieve after a lifetime of hard work.
It is no exaggeration to say that he is the James of the football world. He has also been setting various youngest records.
Mbappe first debuted in Ligue 1 at the age of 16 years and 347 days, breaking the record set by Henry and becoming the youngest goal scorer to make his debut in the history of Monaco. On February 20, 2016, in the 27th round of the French Ligue 1 match between Monaco and Troyes Football Club, Mbappe scored the first goal of his career in the 93rd minute of the game, aged 17 years and 62 days. His age once again broke the record held by his predecessor Henry and became the youngest goalscorer in the history of Monaco.
In the 2017-2018 season, Mbappe reached the first peak of his career. He not only helped Monaco win the league championship that season, but also broke Paris Saint-Germain's monopoly on Ligue 1. At the same time, at the age of 18 years and 4 months, Mbappe set a new record for the youngest player to complete 14 goals in the five major leagues of the 21st century. In the Champions League, he scored 6 goals, surpassing Raul and becoming the youngest player to score 5 goals in the Champions League. Last year, Mbappe undisputedly won the Golden Boy Award of the Year and surpassed Irving to become the youngest nominee in the history of the Golden Globe Award.
The young James also holds the title of genius. On June 26, 2003, the 18-year-old James was selected by the Cavaliers and was elected as the No. 1 pick, becoming the youngest NBA No. 1 pick.
Since the age of 18, James has relied on his super personal ability to create his own records. In his NBA debut, James scored 25 points against the Kings. On November 29, 2003, James, who was 18 years and 334 days old, scored 34 points in a game against the Grizzlies, becoming the youngest 30-pointer in NBA history. On March 27, 2004, James, who was 19 years and 88 days old, scored 41 points in a game against the Nets, becoming the youngest player to score 40 points. Relying on his outstanding performance in his rookie season, James became the youngest player to be elected Rookie of the Year and the youngest player to be selected to the Rookie First Team.
The two people are so similar, which makes their communication more natural. Lao Zhan is like a big brother, giving Mbappe more experience and guidance. From Mbappe, James seems to see his former self.
In the interview, they also talked about the pressure that geniuses bear. "After the age of 18, I am no longer myself. I have to become the LeBron that people expect." The reason why geniuses can get ahead is that they have a stronger ability to withstand pressure. Of course, the maturity shown by Mbappe is also rare. Whether he can reach higher heights, James can actually teach Mbappe a lot. Although he is in a different field, his desire and pursuit of victory are the same.
I wonder if James left the words "Mbappé, the future is yours"? How will we evaluate Mbappe a few years from now?