Comparing Mbappe’s records and trophies to Messi’s at the same age

It’s easy to forget that Kylian Mbappe is only 23 years old, given all that he’s already won and achieved in the game. He’s following in the footsteps of some of the all-time greats – including PSG team-mate Lionel Messi.

Some were already talking Messi up as the greatest player in history back in 2010 when he turned 23 and was front and centre as Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona conquered the world.

But how good does Mbappe compare at the same age? The two ridiculously goalscorers are considered by most to be the best players of their respective generations – could Mbappe go on to break Messi’s many records?

“Messi is a great player. I’m happy for him; he’s adjusting to a new life, a new city, a new club,” Mbappe told Le Parisien midway through Messi’s debut season in Paris.

“Even when you win the Ballon d’Or seven times, you have to adapt; that’s how it is. He’s getting better and better, he’s happy, and I’ve always said it, if we have a great Messi, it’s better. It’s easy to play with him.”

We’ve taken a look at their stats in detail – goals, assists, penalties – by the time they turned 23, as well as their many honours and achievements.

Note: all stats are up to their 23rd birthdays. Mbappe turned 23 in December 2021, so we’ve not included his goals, assists or honours won so far in 2022.

Games: 320

Goals: 197

Assists: 111

Penalties scored: 17

Minutes per goal: 115.9

Minutes per non-penalty goal: 126.9

Minutes per goal or assist: 74.1

Trophies

Youth Level:

UEFA European Under-19 Championship x 1 (2016),

Club Level:

Ligue 1 x 4  (2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20), Coupe de France x 3 (2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21), Coupe de la Ligue x 22017–18, 2019–20, Trophee des Champions: (2019, 2020)

International Level:

FIFA World