We’ve come a long way from teams playing with two big front men, or even one target man and one runner. We have false nines, inside forwards and every other description for talking about the different types of goal creators and goalscorers—but still, the most exciting type of attacker seems to simply be the one who has pace, self-belief and composure in front of goal. Kylian Mbappe fits the bill nicely.
Throughout the World Cup, it has been apparent how many sides have come to the finals with a true powerhouse striker. Some haven’t intended to start that way - Germany with Timo Werner, France with Antoine Griezmann - but sooner or later, Gomez or Giroud have gotten the call.
Others are less subtle. Mario Mandzukic bulldozes from the front for Croatia, England have Harry Kane to aim for and the list goes on: Falcao, Dzyuba, Cavani, Costa, Cornelius, Lewandowski, Mitrovic, Lukaku. Some have more technique than others, some have enjoyed more success in the final third, but the vast majority of sides have included at least one of these powerful, aerially capable front men in their armoury.
And yet are any absolute stand-outs for best players at the finals? Or even most exciting, the players who fans love to talk about? Not so much, beyond perhaps the Kane-Lukaku Golden Boot battle. Instead, the excitement has come from the fleet-footed, tricky and explosive in-from-out forwards: Hirving Lozano, Ante Rebic (with a brutish physique himself, admittedly), Juan Quintero...and now Mbappe.
It’s that juxtaposition to the ‘main men’ of the front line which makes Mbappe and Co. such a pleasing watch, their incredible now-it’s-happening momentum which can take a game in a heartbeat from gently bubbling to frothy, roiling, turbulent drama. Mbappe didn’t just help France beat Argentina, he took the stage from the man who has defined excitement from a fast, fluid forward for a decade: Lionel Messi.
'Kylian Mbappe is much more talented than me'
Cheers Paul I think everyone already knew this.
#FRA
Of course, fans of a particular nation will love any goal being scored, and if it’s sending you through to the next round of the World Cup it doesn’t matter if it’s as good as Pavard’s volley or the scruffiest goalmouth scramble in living memory. But Mbappe excites. He generates momentum. He has fans, inside the stadium and at home, building anticipation as soon as he receives possession and lifts his head, ready to attack the space. Dribbling ability, a confident finish and acceleration which can leave opponents looking snail-paced are all characteristics which, when present, make one team favourites over the other.
We want entertainment, and these wide forwards bring it in so many more ways, more relatable, watchable, long-lasting ways than their predatory penalty box team-mates. It’s not about being better than them—Mbappe doesn’t score his second without Giroud’s vision, reaction and pass, for starters—but about being more thrilling. About standing out. About being the one who, in the pre-game conversations between colleagues, friends or pundits, people want to talk about and use as evidence for an upcoming goal-fest.
On a wider footballing spectrum, the success over the last decade of the wide forward, the inside forward, has led to a shift: instead of wingers developing to become offensive-minded full-backs, the most dangerous are shifted centrally. Griezmann is a centre-forward, but was Real Sociedad’s left winger. Eden Hazard has done the same, Mohamed Salah from the right, Dries Mertens too. Mbappe, given time, will follow, as plenty of others have done—while many more have regressed or never been given the chance. Some, sadly, remain wingers, forever frustrating and wasting crosses.
But Mbappe. He is a forward in true form, exploiting spaces centrally and in the channels with equal regard, and he brings joy and energy to the game and excitement and expectation to the stands. While a player like him is on the field, there always seems to be one more chance in the game. And at the World Cup, at this World Cup, we seem to be lapping up the late drama with every passing game.
