- >>
- SPORT
On June 30 1998, 18-year-old Michael Owen represented England in an epic France 1998 World Cup knock out match, shocking the world as he terrorised an Argentine defence. The host nation went on to win the tournament that year, six months later in Paris, Kylian Mbappe was born to an Algerian mother and father hailing from Cameroon.
Twenty years on – to the day – at the Kazan Stadium, the world witnessed Argentina’s Lionel Messi bow out of another World Cup, possibly for last time – as 19-year-old Mbappe announced his arrival on the world stage in a similar fashion to the young Michael Owen
The 2014 World Cup Finalists lost a fascinating 4-3 contest to a superior French team, who came to life after delivering subdued performances in the group stages
Mbappe began his Man of the Match performance with an astonishing sprint, carrying the ball 75-yards from the French half into the opposition 18-yard box, winning in a penalty – converted by Antoine Griezmann. The Paris Saint-German forward went on to emulate the only other teenager to score twice a World Cup Finals match, one Pelé.
In a World Cup Finals where none of five participating African nations qualified to the knock out phases – the impact of globalisation on world football should be noted, as archaic anti-globalists close borders and cause havoc elsewhere.
On June 30 2018, the old guard of Messi and Ronaldo (Mbappe’s boyhood idol was knocked out representing Portugal against Uruguay) made way for new blood, a Frenchman of African descent who along with a majority migrant French national team, looks set to play a major role in an global tournament truly representative of the world today.
