Kylian Mbappe's Highlights Against FC Barcelona Show He's A Future Ballon d'Or Winner

Kylian Mbappe came up clutch with an outstanding hat-trick performance as Paris Saint-Germain battered Barcelona 4-1 at the Nou Camp.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were without Neymar and Angel Di Maria for the Champions League round of 16 first leg but their absent was not felt in the slightest.

That's because Mbappe was in inspired form in his first ever appearance against Barcelona.

He notched a superb goal to level matters in the first half before adding a further two - including a wonderful finish as he became the third player to score a Champions League hat-trick against the Blaugrana.

The former Monaco man moved up to third in PSG's all-time top scorer rankings on 112 goals for the Ligue One champions and now has 40 goal involvements in 41 Champions League appearances.

But it wasn't just goals Mbappe delivered in Catalonia. He was breathtakingly brilliant throughout, his pace and trickery terrorising Barca's backline.

Gerard Pique, playing in his first game since November after injury, will surely be having nightmares about the 22-year-old tonight.

He was absolutely rinsed by Mbappe and had to resort to tugging on his shirt in order to stop his flow.

The boy-wonder was simply unplayable and we praise the compilation gods for gifting us with five marvellous minutes of Mbappe magic to feast our eyes on.

The fact that Mbappe is a World Cup winner with over 150 goals to his name at just 22 is simply incredible. But the more frightening thought is the levels he could reach in years to come.

He outshone Lionel Messi on the big stage tonight and he appears to be the natural candidate to fill the void that will soon be left both he and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Worryingly for PSG, Mbappe only has a year remaining on his contract and Real Madrid will always be sniffing around.

But speaking after tonight's display, he confirmed his desire to remain at the Parc des Princes.

"The PSG shirt is one that I hold dear to my heart," he told RMC Sport.

"It would be stupid to decide my future on a single match. The truth, is that it is about reflecting for the long term. I have always said that I am happy here. This sort of match makes me even happier."

Topics: Football News, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, Football, PSG, Kylian Mbappe

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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