Unknown Kylian Mbappe twisted Kieran Trippier inside out to claim his first assist against Tottenham in the Europa League clash in 2015, now they could find themselves at the World Cup

Kylian Mbappe will be a handful for England on Saturday, but he always has been and Kieran Trippier can attest to that.

The Three Lions face France on Saturday with a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup on the line, arguably the draw of the round.

With key battles to be fought all over the pitch, Gareth Southgate’s choice at right-back could be his most important of the competition.

If the England manager opts for the skipper of Newcastle, the couple will meet for the second time since a relatively unknown 16-year-old from Bondy in the Paris suburbs caused havoc seven years ago.

At the earliest opportunity, Spurs hosted Monaco at White Hart Lane for a Europa League group stage clash in December 2015 and Mauricio Pochettino’s side blew up the principality club with a hat-trick from Erik Lamela in the first half.

Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim threw Mbappe into the mix ten minutes after the break, to give his starlet a taste of European football.

From the moment he received his first pass, Trippier knew he had a battle on his hands.

Mbappe – ten days shy of his 17th birthday – has quickly displayed the level of confidence shown by a player in his twenties, despite it being only his second professional game.

Waving in and out, quick feet, shoulder drop, Trippier’s cozy evening had been turned upside down.

The Frenchman showed no signs of nervousness in front of a sold-out crowd and used his close control and acceleration to make sure something positive happened every time he received the ball.

Trippier hadn’t prepared for such a threat, no one had. Few knew about Mbappe’s talent and all the Spurs full-back could do was put a yard between him and Mbappe to avoid being left in his wake.

But Trippier’s plan elicited a different response. Instead of opting for the left flank, Mbappe quickly showed him he was just as comfortable cutting inside, when he put in Stephan El Shaarawy for a consolation goal.

More importantly, it was the first assist of Mbappe’s career – and there have been many more since.

Spurs won 4-1 that night and, despite Lamela leaving with the match ball – and Tom Carroll scoring a fine solo effort, Mbappe’s second-half appearance set the tone for what was to come for the star striker.

Trippier and Mbappe have since enjoyed success at club level after leaving Tottenham and Monaco respectively.

The Englishman helped Atletico Madrid clinch a La Liga title in 2021 before leaving for a rejuvenated Newcaste United.

After helping Monaco propel Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title in 2017, Mbappe completed a £170m move to Parc des Princes later that summer.

As the pair met again in a 2017 international friendly which France won 3-2, the striker got another assist – although this time it was two minutes after the replacement of Trippier.

Life can go fast in football, but no one could have predicted that just under three years after his performance at The Lane, Mbappe would score and lead France to World Cup glory in Russia.

Now 23, the PSG star is ready to write history once again. With five goals to his name, he currently tops the World Cup scoring charts and is hungry to add to his tally against Trippier and England on Saturday night.

With France possessing a host of weapons, keeping Mbappe’s contributions to a minimum will be essential for England as they seek to topple holders and reach a second consecutive semi-final.

Trippier has been in fine form for Newcastle this season and earned his place in England’s 26-man squad for the final. But the 32-year-old will know that if he comes up against Mbappe again, a more complete version of the Frenchman awaits.

Mbappe is currently at the peak of his powers and enjoying the pressure of performing on the biggest stage.

On the England clash, Mbappe said: “I’m here and my focus is on winning the World Cup again. However, we are far from having achieved our goal of going all the way and winning the World Cup. The first challenge is the quarter-finals, and that’s what we’re focusing on now.

The PSG star is the highest paid player in world football. He is 11 goals from Edinson Cavani’s record [200] to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and as the careers of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema begin to fizzle out, Mbappe is well placed to take over for the next generation of football.

All that’s missing from his CV is an elusive Champions League winner’s medal and success with PSG in the June final, coupled with another World Cup triumph, should take care of the next destination of the Golden Ball.

But first, England and the opportunity to emulate Pelé by securing a second World Cup winner’s medal in his first two tournaments.

History awaits Mbappe but just like in December 2015, a potential showdown with Trippier stands in the way of another period of greatness.