Off the conveyor belt: Mbappe the latest in long line of young French stars
Monaco stud Kylian Mbappe came off the bench in Saturday's 3-1 win over Luxembourg, the sleek runner becoming the second-youngest player to make a France debut thanks to his 78th-minute introduction.
With 13 of the 24 players in Didier Deschamps' squad 25 years old or younger, and contemporaries like Raphael Varane, Aymeric Laporte, Nabil Fekir, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, and Kingsley Coman omitted for various reasons, Les Bleus appear a threat for years to come.
Mbappe, 18, is the latest burgeoning talent to earn a France call-up, and, with his appearance against Luxembourg, he'll only be a month off being the youngest French debutant ever.
For the sake of nostalgia, here's a look back at the 10 youngest players to play for Les Bleus:
1) Maryan Wisniewski (18 years, 2 months, 3 days)
France 2-0 Sweden, Apr. 3, 1955: A Lens legend with 93 goals in 277 appearances, Wisniewski was a resourceful striker who would go on to make 32 more France appearances with a dozen goals.
2) Kylian Mbappe (18 years, 3 months, 5 days)
Luxembourg 1-3 France, March 25, 2017: 19 goals in 18 starts in all competitions was good enough to get this striker with a gazelle-like gait a teenage debut. There's a reason the continent's marquee sides are pining for this emerging star.
3) Georges Lech (18 years, 4 months, 24 days)
France 3-1 Bulgaria, Oct. 26, 1963: Wisniewski's heir apparent at Lens was, like his predecessor, a striker of Polish decent, bagging 72 goals for the Sang et Or while scoring seven times for Les Bleus in 35 caps.
4) Serge Chiesa (18 years, 8 months, 16 days)
Norway 1-3 France, Sept. 10, 1969: Chiesa, a Moroccan-born attacking midfielder, made just a dozen appearances for France, but is considered a legend at Lyon, where the deft dribbler scored 134 goals in a club-record 541 appearances for Les Gones.
5) Daniel Bravo (19 years, 14 days)
France 2-0 Italy, Feb. 23, 1982: Despite relegation to D2 with Nice in 1982, Bravo got a France call-up, scoring on his debut as Les Bleus beat Italy for the first time in six years. The Toulouse-born defensive mid would go on to make 12 more France appearances and play for the likes of Monaco, PSG, and Lyon.
6) Nicolas Anelka (19 years, 1 month, 8 days)
Sweden 0-0 France, April 22, 1998: Anelka's debut against Sweden didn't result in a spot on France's 1998 World Cup squad, though he did become Roger Lemerre's go-to guy for Euro 2000 qualification before a six-year absence from the team between 2001-07. Fourteen goals in 69 caps marks an international career that could have offered so much more.
7) Yannick Stopyra (19 years, 1 month, 18 days)
France 5-1 Greece, Feb. 27, 1980: Another striker with Polish ancestry, Stopyra's maiden appearance against Greece was followed by run-outs in all but one of France's matches during its third-place run at the 1986 World Cup, including goals against Hungary and Italy.
8) Karim Benzema (19 years, 3 months, 9 days)
France 1-0 Austria, March 28, 2007: A once-promising France career marred by character issues has seen Benzema score 27 goals in 81 Les Bleus fixtures. Again left out of the squad this time around, the Real Madrid point man would fancy an explanation why.
9) Ousmane Dembele (19 years, 3 months, 17 days)
Italy 1-3 France, Sept. 1, 2016: Like Mbappe, Dembele is a versatile attacker with loads of pace who signals the flashy future of French football. The 19-year-old got his first cap because of injuries to Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir. His exploits with Borussia Dortmund kept the Lyon pair out of Deschamps' side.
10) Kingsley Coman (19 years, 5 months)
France 2-0 Germany, Nov. 13, 2015: Absent from Deschamps' squad as he recovers from a torn knee ligament, Bayern Munich stud Coman made his debut for France during a friendly against Germany better known for the terror attacks surrounding the Stade de France and in Paris proper.
(Photos courtesy: Reuters)