Kylian Mbappe is definitely a generational talent who possesses the skillset that not many can boast about in their careers. The Frenchman had an incredible World Cup campaign with France, scoring eight goals to take them to the finals in Qatar.
Mbappe is a devastating goal-scorer with a really clinical finishing ability. But another of his famous traits includes his speed. The Frenchman causes nightmares for defenders, especially in counter-attacks, because of his ability to sprint like the flash with the ball in his feet.
He’s almost made a trademark out of his blazing runs through the wings, which makes him one of the most dangerous forwards in world football. In fact, Mbappe proved how fast he can be by topping the speed charts in the World Cup semi-finals.
The PSG star clocked in a top speed of 35.3 kmph with his surging forward runs against Morocco. While the general consensus is that Mbappe has unmatched speed when he is allowed room to surge forward, it doesn’t appear that every fullback is scared of it.
Matty Cash faced Mbappe during France’s 3-1 win over Poland in the Round of 16 encounters. The Aston Villa defender might not really have a Polish name, but his grandparents are Polish –which allowed him to get a Polish passport and play in the World Cup against players like Mbappe.
With the Frenchman scoring a brace in that game, he managed to win over Cash and gave him a nightmare with his sizzling movement in that game.
With that being said, the former Aston Villa defender doesn’t seem to be too bothered about Mbappe’s pace. Cash has claimed that the winger wasn’t able to trouble him with his speed and that he is actually quicker than the World Cup winner as well.
We had a good battle, I think. We had a really good – like it was a good challenge for me. I think we had like, one-v-one, I think there was a few times he sort of got around me and then a few where I won it off him. We had a few one-on-one races as well. He’s not quicker than me.
Despite these comments, Cash has also praised the quality of Mbappe and revealed that the Frenchman gave him a tougher challenge than Lionel Messi. The defender, of course, faced Messi when Poland came up against Argentina in their final group game and lost by the margin of 2-0.
When asked about who he found more problematic to face off against, Cash said:
I think Messi’s quality speaks for itself. His way to pass, and the way he controls the ball, is obvious, I don’t need to sit here and explain Messi. But I think for me, Mbappé was the hardest test, yeah.
While Cash’s comments on the speed of Mbappe not being a problem and that he’s faster than the Frenchman can be surprising, there is no doubt that the PSG forward is among the fastest players in the world.
Fortunately for Mbappe, he is more than just your average ‘speed demon’ and is able to add impressive finishing and decision-making to back up his pace as well. All those elements have helped him climb to the top of World Football and be regarded as the one to compete for the Ballon d’Or for many years to come.
