Kylian Mbappe has hit 100 career goals aged 20 – beating Messi and Ronaldo to a century

KYLIAN MBAPPE may have only left his teenage years in December and played 180 professional matches but he has already brought up his century of career goals.

The striker bagged goal No100 on Tuesday night at the tender age of 20 years and 173 days, opening the scoring in France's 4-0 Euro 2020 qualifier win over Andorra.

So just how did the footballing sensation rack up so many goals so quickly, in three-and-a-half years of professional football?

And how much quicker did he reach the century landmark than the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Mbappe, 20, started out at AS Bondy and despite interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid he headed to Monaco to develop.

It was there that he broke through to the B team in 2015 but was fast-tracked into the first team by December, coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw at home to Caen on December 2 to play alongside Bernardo Silva and Fabinho.

He was still only 16 years old.

NOTABLE STRIKES

Mbappe scored his first professional goal aged 17 years and 62 days on February 20 – his seventh professional match.

He came off the bench and found space in the box deep into injury time, tucking home first time with his left boot to seal a 3-1 victory over Troyes.

His rise since then has been simply staggering.

It was during the 2016/17 that he really announced himself, netting 26 goals as he powered Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and the Champions League semi-finals.

Mbappe bagged his first hat-trick in December 2016 in a 7-0 thrashing of Stade Rennais and followed it up with a treble in the league two months later.

Manchester City's Etihad Stadium will always hold a special place in Mbappe's heart – he scored his first Champions League goal past Willy Cabellero in a 5-3 defeat.

His cool finish actually put Monaco in front but John Stones, Leroy Sane and a Sergio Aguero double ensured victory after Raheem Sterling opened the scoring.

The Frenchman then bagged in the second leg against City, three in the quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund and one against Juventus as his side's European venture came to an end in the final four.

A loan move to Paris Saint-Germain came in the summer – with the promise to pay £162million the following year – but it was a case of more of the same with his 21 goals helping to secure a second Ligue 1 title by the age of 19.

It may have taken seven club games for Mbappe to score his first goal for Monaco but he grabbed his first goal for France in his fifth international cap, rounding off the scoring in a 4-0 win against the Netherlands.

That game was a World Cup qualifier and of course Mbappe played a key role in the tournament in Russia.

His four goals – including two against Argentina and one in the final – were crucial as France were crowned world champions.

Unsurprisingly he was named the best young player at the tournament and led the line in the World Cup Dream Team.

And any doubts of a World Cup hangover this season were quickly abolished as he started the season with 15 goals in his first 15 games, including four in the 5-0 thrashing of Lyon.

He ended the season with a stunning 39 goals – 33 of which came in 29 Ligue 1 appearances – and now could be set for another transfer as Real Madrid get ready to swoop.

RON WAY BEHIND

But while Mbappe is already one of the world's best players – his fourth-placed finish in the Ballon d'Or is testament to that – just how far ahead of his peers is he at this stage?

Well, needless to say, the PSG talisman was younger than any other top striker was when they hit the big 100.

Sergio Aguero comes closest at 21 years and 285 days – but was still a whopping 477 days older.

Wayne Rooney was 22 years and 87 days old when he entered three figures, ten days younger than a certain Mr Messi.

At 20, Messi was already causing shockwaves for Barcelona, especially in Europe – but it was not until a Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev in September 2009 that he netted his 100th goal.

Meanwhile when Ronaldo was 20 years and 173 days, he was preparing for his third season at Manchester United with just 20 club goals and nine for Portugal.

And Ronaldo was virtually 23 when he made hit his ton of goals.

The winger had established himself as one of the world's best players by 2008 and was part of the Champions League-winning squad.

And it was in an FA Cup game against Tottenham on January 27 that he reached the milestone with a double at Old Trafford to secure a safe passage into the fifth round.

With time clearly on his side and showing no signs of plateauing any time soon, Mbappe could obliterate record after record set by Messi and Ronaldo over the last 15 years.

Somehow, he is still just getting better and better.

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