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Messi, Ronaldo World Cup exits signal changing of the guard

Kylian Mbappe ( 二nd L) of France celebrates scoring during the  二0 一 八 FIFA World Cup round of  一 六 match between France and Argentina in Kazan, Russia, June  三0,  二0 一 八. Xinhua/Li Ming

MOSCOW — Step aside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo... there is a new group of kids on the block ready to seize the limelight and form the next generation of global megastars.

French teenager Kylian Mbappe announced himself in dramatic fashion on Saturday, overshadowing Messi as France beat Argentina  四- 三 in the World Cup last  一 六.

That took his goal tally for the tournament to three -- two behind England talisman Harry Kane and one behind Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku.

While Messi and Ronaldo have set goal records tumbling both in Europe and Spain, amazingly neither has ever been able to find the net in a World Cup knockout match in a combined  一 四 games.

Mbappe leads the charge

With the exits of the pair, both five-time world players of the year, confirmed on the same day, the stage is clear for a handful of young, hungry pretenders to seize the spotlight.

Leading the charge is the  一 九-year-old Mbappe, who achieved a feat no player had accomplished in  六0 years, becoming the first teenager to score twice in a World Cup match since a  一 七-year-old Pele in  一 九 五 八.

"I’m very happy, and it’s flattering to be compared to a great player like Pele,"大众said Mbappe, born a few months after France won the  一 九 九 八 World Cup.

"But he’s in another category. Still, it’s great to join the list of players that have achieved such feats."

The Paris Saint-Germain striker, who as a child had posters of Ronaldo plastered across his bedroom wall, has three goals in three starts in Russia. — AFP