On June 30, millions of viewers tuned in to see Argentina’s superstar striker Lionel Messi in what could be his last World Cup appearance.
What no one was expecting was the coronation of a French sensation named Kylian Mbappé, just 19 years old.
In that match, France knocked the South American team out of the tournament with a 4-3 victory — and Mbappé stole the spotlight with a performance that could fill a highlight reel.
He scored two second-half goals in the game and sent Twitter into a tizzy with his explosive speed. This past Tuesday, playing against Belgium in the semifinals, he wowed once again. Today, all eyes will be on the young star as he and his countrymen take on Croatia in the finals at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
“I want the World Cup. I want to sleep with it,” Mbappé told French network TF1.
No matter what happens, he may already have a hot commodity to cuddle up with at night: The forward is reportedly dating former Miss France Alicia Aylies, 20.
The beauty queen, who grew up in Guyana, represented France in the 2017 Miss Universe pageant and is an avid fencer, a sport she took up as a 4-year-old. She has been an enthusiastic presence at her beau’s World Cup matches in Russia; in an Instagram video, she celebrated France advancing to the finals with a sexy dance.
The pair were first linked in May when Aylies was spotted at one of Mbappé’s games with his Paris Saint-Germain team. It’s unclear how they met, but they may have been introduced by Miss France 2007 Rachel Legrain Trapani, who is coupled up with French defender Benjamin Pavard. The two women were seen together during the Argentina match.
Mbappé, who grew up near Paris, is not only tight with his teammates, but also his family: His father Wilfried, acts as his agent.
And it seems the fresh-faced young hero has a big heart to go with his magic feet.
According to the French newspaper L’Équipe, Mbappé is donating his World Cup salary to the charity Premiers de Cordée, which introduces sports to children with disabilities. He reportedly earned $22,475 per match and could notch another $349,966 if France takes the title.
Mbappé became the second most expensive player in the sport in 2017, when Paris Saint-Germain acquired him from Monaco for $210 million.
But he’s made it clear that he’s not motivated by cash, saying, “There is money at stake. But I do not care. I do not play for that.”