Sao Paulo - Kylian Mbappe got a glowing "happy birthday" wish from Pele on Thursday, further feeding football fans' comparisons of the 20-year-old with the Brazilian legend.

"Only special talents show themselves so early. Happy birthday, Kylian. At just 20, I am excited by what is still to come," Pele tweeted in English and Portuguese.

The French forward scored four goals in this year's World Cup, including one in the final that saw France beat Croatia 4-2 to clinch the trophy.

That made him just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final after Pele, who did so in 1958.

Pele, 78, has several times used his Twitter account to express his admiration for Paris Saint-Germain's Mbappe.

After the World Cup triumph, Pele tweeted: "If Kylian keeps equalling my records like this I may have to dust my boots off again."

Mbappe responded: "The king will always remain king."

Early this month, Pele gave an interview to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper in which he highlighted the similarities between his younger self and the French player.

"We are alike and we are more or less the same age," joked the Brazilian who won his first World Cup at just 17.