10 Things We Learned From World Cup 2018
6. Changing Of The Guard
The emergence of the outstanding Mbappé coincided with the fading away of two of the game's biggest legends. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may never play in a World Cup again and both players bowed out with a bit of a whimper in the round of 16.
Ronaldo had a great opening game and finished the tournament with an impressive tally of four goals, while Messi scored once and assisted two more strikes for his teammates. Both players still have to be classed as the best in the world due to their domestic exploits, but there was a sense that this World Cup was their last big chance to win the biggest prize of all.
Now, it seems time for a new generation to step up. As Mbappé won the Best Young Player award, this World Cup showed the sun setting on two great talents and rising on one new superstar. The PSG man was clearly the outstanding talent of the tournament, but several other young players, including Yerry Mina, Hirving Lozano, Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Torreira and José Giménez all shone for their sides, and we'll surely be hearing their names much more often in the years to come.