Kylian Mbappe is considered by many to be the successor to Lionel Messi's throne.

In an era where 12 of the last 13 Ballon d'Or trophies have wound up either in the hands of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, football fans have been wondering for years: who will inherit the mantle?

Everyone from Neymar to Paulo Dybala has been touted as Messi's replacement in the past, but few have looked more likely to reach Ballon d'Or-winning heights than Mr. Mbappe himself.

The brilliance of Mbappe

Having moved to Paris Saint-Germain for a mammoth €180 million before he was even 20 years old, Mbappe has gone onto achieve some incredible things in the beautiful game already.

The electric forward has won four Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de France trophies, the UEFA Nations League and none other than the FIFA World Cup itself, scoring in the final.

He has surpassed 30 goals in every season since his first at the Parc des Princes and has been crowned the French top-flight's leading goalscorer for the past four years on the bounce.

Mbappe has also been named Ligue 1 Player of the Year in three of the last four seasons and finished as high as fourth in the 2018 Ballon d'Or having picked up the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award.

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Messi vs Mbappe at the same age

So, it's easy to see why Mbappe has been so widely touted as a future world-beater but now that he's 23 years old, we really need to see him pushing towards that Ballon d'Or-winning plane.

After all, while Karim Benzema seems to be nailed on for France Football's top prize this year, the runway should then be clear for him to follow in the footsteps of Messi by going all the way.

But even if that proves to be the case and no doubt it will, winning the Ballon d'Or and succeeding Messi as the best player in the world doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be as good as his PSG teammate once was.

And that's not just down to Messi having won a record-breaking seven Ballon d'Or trophies, but it's because the two players simply can't be compared at the same stages of their careers.

Why? Well, although Mbappe is undoubtedly world-class and set for massive things at 23 years old, Messi was widely being named as the greatest male player ever when he was the exact same age.

While Mbappe is in the conversation for the current top dog amongst the likes of, say, Erling Haaland, Messi was being compared to Pele and Diego Maradona when he was just as young.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - May 14, 2022 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their second goal with Kylian Mbappe REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

"Mbappé is GOOD but Messi was already the GOAT at 23"

Don't believe us? Fair enough, but before you write off that school of thought, be sure to check out an incredible video titled: "Mbappé is GOOD but Messi was already the GOAT at 23," that went live in August.

Posted by YouTuber "MagicalMessi" - take from that username what you will - the thrilling montage not only documents just how much Messi was being praised at 23 years old, but is also jam-packed with the video clips to prove it.

So it really is no slight on Mbappe to say that while he is already brilliant beyond belief, he couldn't possibly lay a glove on Messi at the same age. Check out the video to see the proof for yourself:

Sorry Mbappe, but there's levels

Goodness gracious me. It's easy to forget that Messi was still only 23 when he ran circles around Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final.

And to think that the Argentine wizard was already being widely touted as the greatest footballer to have ever lived despite still having more than a decade of his career to look forward to.

Don't get it twisted, it's a massive compliment to Mbappe that he's being compared to a player who reached such dizzying heights so soon, but the compilation paints a stark picture of how he simply can't raise a glass to Messi.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi kisses the trophy after their Champions League final soccer match against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in London May 28, 2011. REUTERS/Paul Hanna (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)

Maybe that will change in the future and maybe Mbappe will reach that 'GOAT' level one day, but there's every likelihood that Messi has simply raised the bar too high for anyone to touch.