Generations of greatness came together this week as Brazilian legend Pele met French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe for the first time ever at an event organised by Hublot in Paris.
One player has long since finished his career, while the other is only really getting started. One is a legend, the other a legend-in-the-making. Pelé, a Hublot ambassador since 2013, crossed the Atlantic to meet Kylian Mbappe, the Swiss watch brand’s newest ambassador, for a truly historic and moving encounter, with the two talking over the past, present and future. Mbappe, global superstar that he is fast becoming, was in awe of the Brazilian from the get go. “I keep pinching myself to make sure this is real.”
These are the only two men to score in the World Cup final as teenagers: Pele at 17 and Mbappe at 19, separated by 60 years. Comparing the two and even saying that “Mbappe is the next Pele” is a disservice to both men; they are both great in their own right, just at different ends of the chronological spectrum. And Mbappe has some way to go before he earns legendary status, but he’s on the right track, according to Pele. "He must continue to play the same way that he is already doing – that is how he will become the world's best. That is important.”
Following the event, Pele was taken ill and is currently in hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Photography by Alex Penfornis for SoccerBible.
