Saturday 30 June 2018 23:53, UK
Kylian Mbappe's performance against Argentina could be a "defining moment" in his career as he went "from a good to a great player", says Gary Neville.
The Paris Saint-Germain teenager won a 13th-minute penalty for Antoine Griezmann with a storming 75-yard run and scored two goals in five minutes after the break as Didier Deschamps' side overcame the setback of going 2-1 down to claim a convincing victory.
"It was amazing," Neville told ITV.
"We all know where we think he's going to be in three, four, five years' time and if we look back and he's achieved that, it'll be a day like today that we'll all remember as a defining moment.
"He's on the pitch with Lionel Messi, in a huge game, and he's grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.
"You think about someone going from a good player to a great player; they win the biggest matches. You think about Cristiano Ronaldo, what he did in that first game against Spain. What Mbappe did today was absolutely wonderful. His confidence will be absolutely soaring."
Mbappe's double meant he became the first teenager to score two goals in a World Cup game since Pele did for Brazil against Sweden in 1958 but the matchwinner shrugged off lofty comparisons.
"I'm very happy, and it's flattering to be compared to a great player like Pele. But he's in another category. Still, it's great to join the list of players that have achieved such feats."
Deschamps delivered high praise but also played down the hype.
"Ronaldo is a forward who is very quick but I think Kylian is even quicker," he said.
"But he [Ronaldo] is someone who is a world champion compared to a young player who has lots of abilities and qualities but he's only 19-years-old.
"He'll make a lot of progress and I'm very happy with the way he plays."
