Why Kylian Mbappé, from Real Madrid, is the first top player of the Golazo 100 and Vinicius Jr.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the winner of the very first Golazo 100 is Kylian Mbappé, who is about to kick off UEFA Euro 2024 with France. The Paris Saint-Germain man leaves Parc des Princes at the end of his contract, which expires this month, and his next destination has been known for a few weeks: Santiago Bernabeu and La Liga. Mbappe's final season in his home country may not have ended with the UEFA Champions League victory he craves, but the 25-year-old and his teammates came very close to a glorious farewell.

How did Mbappe earn his status as the inaugural Golazo 100 chart topper before heading to the Spanish capital? We look back not only at his 2023/24 season, but also at his PSG and Ligue 1 legacy, knowing that following in the footsteps of illustrious Frenchmen like Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema in Madrid comes with great expectations and increased attention to the Ballon d'Or will be accompanied. But perhaps that is exactly what Mbappé needs at this crucial stage of his career.

Golazo 100 schedule

Make sure you tune into the Golazo Network, including Morning Footy, to start your day with a round-up of each group of top players released each day. And of course, be sure to check out the full breakdown and analysis of who ranked where and why

Mbappe's 2023-2024 season

Despite not playing as regularly as he would like so far in 2024 due to his decision to leave Paris this summer, Mbappe's calendar year has been impressive so far. He ended his final term in Ligue 1 with his sixth Championnat crown and fourth Coupe de France title, combined with a UCL semi-final appearance. In terms of ideal scenarios, it was almost perfect, with the obvious blemish being the two-legged defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the last four, which prevented Mbappe from parting ways with future club Real.

As for how it fits in with his overall time at Parc des Princes, the man from Bondy has an impressive string of French domestic titles to his name. In addition to these six Ligue 1 victories and the four Coupe de France victories, there are also three Trophee des Champions, two Coupe de la Ligue successes and one Champions League final plus another semi-final. Since his arrival in 2017, that's quite an impressive return, especially considering how difficult the past few years have been at PSG, including the painful split with Neymar and the departure of Lionel Messi.

Mbappe is Les Parisiens' undisputed historic top scorer in all competitions with 256 goals in total after replacing Edinson Cavani at the top flight. The France international captain tops the charts for Ligue 1 (175), UCL goals (42) and domestic cups (39) and it will take a long time for his total of 352 decisive actions in Rouge et Bleu to improve. When you consider the value for money, Mbappé justifies the $194 million that PSG put in his signature, unlike the man before him for that title: Neymar.

Mbappé's Ligue 1 legacy

It is not just in Paris that the loss of Mbappe will be keenly felt by French football; the former AS Monaco man was really approaching the kind of territory that suggested he was a bigger name than the league itself, as the recent television rights fiasco has shown. It's easy to forget that his run of success started before he even arrived at PSG with a seventh and first ever Ligue 1 title and a first Champions League semi-final with Les Monegasques, even before his departure from Stade Louis II and the Principality seven. years ago.

That's a whopping seven of a possible eight league titles he has won in his home country over the course of his career, six of which have seen him finish as top scorer and five as best player. Add to that the historic all-time total of 191 goals, with a ratio of 0.78 goals per match, which can only be bettered by Carlos Bianchi, and it is no surprise to hear that Mbappé is emphatically one of the best to strike France has ever produced.

Ligue 1 is blessed to have been able to retain such talent for so long, given its reputation as a selling league, and the only thing that can be considered missing is a first UCL title since Olympique de Marseille's only but tainted major victory for French football. on the continental stage. However, that does open the door for a kind of heroic, unfinished business returning home later in his career.

Mbappe with Les Bleus

However, it is not only at PSG and in French domestic football that Mbappé wrote his legend. He has the chance to extend his impressive record with the French national team in Germany this summer with UEFA Euro 2024, which will be his first major tournament as full-time captain for Didier Deschamps. This has only added to his image and national importance, which is already greater than that of most politicians, and explains why Emmanuel Macron is so eager to be seen alongside him, despite his impending departure.

Many will point to Mbappe's lack of a Champions League title, despite three semi-finals and one final from his time in France. However, the one thing Real's latest signing has over many of his new teammates is his FIFA 2018 World Cup title – even the best like Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can't match that. Manchester City's Erling Haaland, given Norway's struggles to reach international tournaments, might never win one, let alone attempt to win one.

A first Euro win in 24 years for the French would be another feather in Mbappe's cap and possibly the best way for him to compete with the likes of Vini Jr. to compete for this year's Ballon d'Or. A gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris cannot be ruled out as long as there is one excess spot left in Thierry Henry's selection. But give it up for now for Kylian Mbappé, your first Golazo 100 champion.