Kylian Mbappé lit up the World Cup finals across the United States, Mexico and Canada with a string of standout displays. Still, the France star could not drag his country to the title, beaten 2-0 by Spain in the semi-final. Spain went all the way, seeing off Argentina in the final through a solitary Ferran Torres strike.
Mbappé topped the scoring charts with 10 goals. He also wrested the crown of the World Cup's all-time top scorer away from Argentine great Lionel Messi, taking his tally to 22.
Defeat in the third-place play-off against England, a wild 6-4, could not stop Mbappé from claiming top spot in another category.
Clocked at 37.61 km/h, Mbappé was the fastest player at the tournament. He edged out Sweden's Anthony Elanga, second on 37.16 km/h, with the Netherlands' Micky van de Ven third on 36.77 km/h.
France packed the top ten with three players. Bradley Barcola came seventh at 36.32 km/h, while Theo Hernández took ninth after registering 36.17 km/h.
Australia's Jordan Bos landed fourth with a speed of 36.67 km/h. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland also made his mark, finishing fifth on 36.52 km/h.