A Hero is Born - Kylian Mbappé at the 2018 World Cup
Football works in cycles - Jose Mourinho's third-season syndrome, international tournaments every two years, one-season wonders. There is a shelf life for nearly every individual in the sport.
It's both profitable and precarious. And with perhaps the most culturally gripping cycle of the beautiful game coming to a close, a new era is dawning - Messi vs Ronaldo, the last dance, this summer. Everyone is vying for front-row tickets to the ultimate Finalé.
But what next?
Well, step up, Kylian Mbappé.
Announced to the world in 2018 as the Prince of the Principality, he conquered all before him. From Paris to Peru via Petrograd, Mbappé's breakout wasn't just the icing on the cake of a fantastic French side. It was the cake.
France needed Mbappé just as much as Mbappé needed France. A match made in Moscow, the triumphant end of France's cycle of dominance culminated in the start of Mbappé's personal story of supremacy.
A mere teenager with the world at his feet, this is the story of a star boy who dared to play God and won.