Mbappe makes Champions League history amid transfer rumours

It's going to be hard to take Kylian Mbappe out of the endless loop of questions about his future after his departure from Paris was unofficially confirmed. But let's try to do so by talking about his latest achievement. The Frenchman made his Champions League debut in a first match for Monaco against Bayer Leverkusen in 2016 at the age of 17. That breakthrough, at first almost testimonial, in the most important competition at club level was strengthened from 2016-17, when he began to score and to attract the attention of half of Europe.

He soon showed that his talent was not sporadic. 7 years later and with several editions already enjoyed and suffered, his name goes down in history in a special category of the competition: the top scorers in knockout matches.

An important section for the tournament's sceptics. The group stage of the Champions League is demanding, but it is true that it opens windows for the best strikers to extend their records against smaller teams or those who are already a gear down in the last few rounds, with nothing at stake. But the important thing is played from the last 16 onwards. That's where goals are valued and valued at a premium. Kylian Mbappe, in his case, has already reached 16. In other words, he has just entered the 'top 10 all-time'.

The goal he scored at the Parc des Princes against Real Sociedad has opened the door to this luxurious ranking. He has managed to equal Pippo Inzaghi and also Arjen Robben. The Italian scored 16 goals in the 30 UCL knockout matches he played. The Dutchman, 16 in 48. Mbappe has done it in 25, and interestingly, at the same age. Six of them with Monaco and another 10 with Paris Saint-Germain.

He got his first taste of it in that glorious 2016-17 campaign in