He is now the fastest man to rack up nine World Cup goals before turning 24 (on Dec 20) and is leading the Qatar 2022 charts with five goals. And Kylian Mbappe is pretty damn quick on the pitch too. Just who is this speed demon who is taking the football world and World Cup by storm?

1. He has African athletic genes, and so do his brothers

Mbappe was born in Paris, but his father and agent Wilfried is from Cameroon, and his mother Fayza Lamari is of Algerian Kabyle origin and is a former handball player.

Things could get real scary for France’s rivals as Mbappe has a 15-year-old brother Ethan who is also on the books of PSG. They have an adopted elder brother Jires Kembo-Ekoko, who plays in Turkey with Bursapor.

2. He could have joined Real Madrid or Chelsea

A product of the famed Clairefontaine academy, Mbappe also once trained with the Real Madrid under-12s and was handed a trial by Chelsea at 13. But apparently, he didn’t do enough defensively and was asked to go back for a second trial.

His mum Lamari said: “Either they sign him now, or within five years they’ll have to offer 50 million euros (S$71.3 million) to tie him down.”

Well, she is wrong. They will have to pay a lot more now. According to football information website Transfermarkt, Mbappe’s market value is a stunning 160 million euros.

3. Not Bolt, but still lightning quick

Just how fast is Mbappe? For a goal he scored against Monaco in 2019, the Paris St-Germain man clocked 38 kmh.

While that was faster than Usain Bolt’s average speed of 37.58kmh across the 9.58sec he took for his 100m world record in 2009, the Jamaican actually hit a top speed of 42.7kmh.

Still, Mbappe’s speed is no less devastating on the pitch, and he has used his main asset to his advantage, especially on the World Cup stage.

Consider this: Mbappe now has nine World Cup goals in just 11 games, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has nine from 23 games and eight from 20 games respectively.

Greater than the Goats? You decide. But one thing is for sure: With 33 international goals, it will be a mere formality for Mbappe to overtake Olivier Giroud’s French record of 52 goals.

4. Maybe he is a mutant

Or a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to be precise.

After he joined PSG from Monaco in 2017, new teammate Presnel Kimpembe christened the newcomer Donatello for his likeness to the laid-back and inventive ninja turtle with the purple mask.

The nickname stuck in the dressing room, and Mbappe took it in good humour.

5. He is rich but has a heart of gold

Mbappe was just 19 when he won the World Cup four years ago. He received a US$350,000 (S$473,000) bonus for winning the final and about US$22,300 for each game at Russia 2018.

He donated all of these, totalling over US$500,000, to French charity Premiers de Cordee, an association that organises sporting events for children with disabilities.

He told Time magazine: “I did not need to be paid. I was there to defend the colours of the country. Also, I earn enough money – a lot of money (Mbappe will collect an eye-watering US$128 million for the 2022/23 season before taxes and agents’ fees).

“So I think it is important to help those who are in need. A lot of people are suffering, a lot of people have diseases. For people like us, giving a helping hand to people is not a big thing.

“It doesn’t change my life, but it changes theirs. And if it can change theirs, it is a great pleasure. I gave the money to the charity where I am a sponsor because being handicapped is something difficult. Showing them that they can do sports like everyone it is something close to my heart.”

6. He does not always show up

Mbappe was rested in France’s inconsequential 1-0 defeat by Tunisia, but in each of his three starts this World Cup, he scored and was named Man of the Match.

With the award comes the obligation of attending the post-match press conference, but he attended only the one after the Australia game, and faces a fine for missing the other two.

He said: “It wasn’t anything personal, I have nothing against journalists. I just needed to focus on the tournament and my football.

“When I want to concentrate on something, that’s the way I function. That’s why I didn’t do press before. Now I know the FFF (French Football Federation) would get fined and I said I would pay the fine myself, I don’t think they should pay on my behalf.”

Additionally, Mbappe has been also been hiding the name of World Cup sponsor Budweiser on his Man-of-the-Match awards to stick to his rights image policy of not promoting alcoholic drinks, sports betting or junk food.