In the 80th minute of the World Cup final against Argentina, France’s Kylian Mbappe threatened to turn the game around when he scored two goals in a space of 60 seconds, making the match one of the best World Cup finals in history.
Lionel Messi’s moment as the Greatest of All Times (GOAT) came to a near shadow as Mbappe almost snatched the trophy from the hands of the Argentinians. His performance hauled France back from 2-0 down to 2-2. France were completely out of the game before the fighting chance brought by Mpabbe, but this too was not enough to take Messi’s final moment of glory.
With Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, football’s two megastars possibly both retiring from the international game, the 23-year old Mbappe’s displays in Qatar places him right at the top of the list of players positioned to replace the duo.
Sky Sports analysis put is that Mbappe has the club stature to become the top player in the world, with 221 goals in 309 club career matches, stapled alongside Messi’s 706 goals in 863 club games. That he is yet to step into his prime years, places the prospects high for Mbappe.
“Only Erling Haaland, two years Mbappe’s junior with 178 goals in 218 club matches, can stand as his rival in the coming years. But the Manchester City forward is let down by a lack of presence in major international tournaments to date – he is yet to take Norway to any of them,” writes the Sky Sports, adding:
All the records will surely crumble towards Mbappe too, alongside the likely World Cup all-time goal tally. He is just 11 goals away from reaching the top of PSG’s all-time goalscorers list, and 17 behind the France record. If he keeps his annual average goal tally for France up, he will break both those records in 2023.
UNRA sparks outrage
There was public outrage on social media at the weekend as the Uganda National Roads Authority [UNRA] announced the partial closure of the Kampala-Masaka highway, the major gateway to Western Uganda over damages to the road. “UNRA has received information about the damage of a cross culvert at Lwera section. This is attributed to the rising water levels as a result of the ongoing heavy rains. One side of the road has been affected and currently sealed off to motorists with the help of the Uganda Traffic Police while motorists continue to use the other side of the road. Our Maintenance team is already on ground and making arrangements to restore this section of the road as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and commit to doing everything possible to ensure our road network is safe and convenient to all motorists during the festive season,” read a notice posted on various social media platforms by the authority.
It is common for the said section of the road to develop damage during the festive season. Earlier in the year, social media users posted Memes purporting that the Authority were waiting for the festive season to begin works on the said section. Explaining the recurrent damages to the same spot, UNRA’s spokesperson Allan Kyobe Ssempebwa attributes it to the rains that fall towards the festivities. “December concludes the rainy season and comes with heavy showers. This area becomes a watershed. Remember it’s already developed and water catchment zones are compromised rendering the drainage structures weak and unable to hold the waters and yet this is the same time traffic flow on the road increases. The permanent solution has already been designed and requires funding,” Ssempebwa says.
Biden to visit Africa
US President Joe Biden last week left African presidents guessing which sub-Saharan Africa countries he will visit first next year. Biden announced the planned trip as he wrapped up a U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit on Thursday. He will become the first U.S. president to travel to the continent in a decade. “I’m looking forward to seeing you in your home countries,” Biden told the summit of African leaders. “We’re all going to be seeing you and you’re going to see a lot of us.”
As he bed farewell to the African leaders Thursday, he said Africa belongs at the table in every room where global challenges are being discussed and in every institution where discussions are taking place.
Biden said he had directed the establishment of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States “so we can tap the enormous strength of the diaspora communities here in the United States and make sure their insight and experiences are reflected in our work.”
He said that United States fully supports reforming the U.N. Security Council to include permanent representation for Africa. “And today I’m also calling for the African Union to join the G20 as a permanent member of the G20.”
