What if Mbappe and other stars ran down contracts and opted for free agency?
There has not been a player like Kylian Mbappe -- at least, not since the turn of the decade.
According to TruMedia data, which goes back to the 2010-11 season, Mbappe's 33 Ligue 1 goals last season were the most of any player age 20 or under in Europe's big five leagues in that time period. When they were in the same age bracket, Lionel Messi topped out at 14 goals, while Cristiano Ronaldo never got above nine.
More recently, Romelu Lukaku's 2012-13 season with West Bromwich Albion and Kai Havertz...