Mbappe no longer in awe of Ronaldo
It is not so long ago that Kylian Mbappe idolised Cristiano Ronaldo. Now the 19-year-old is hoping to lead Paris Saint-Germain to a famous victory over the Portuguese star and Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Mbappe was outshone by Ronaldo in the sides’ Champions League last 16, first leg last month, with the world player of the year scoring twice as Madrid won 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The teenager has since seen Neymar succumb to injury, meaning PSG will have to settle for just the second most expensive player on the planet in their attack for the Parc des Princes rematch. While the Brazilian recovers from an operation in his home country, the expectation on Mbappe becomes greater. But there is no evidence that he will wilt under the added pressure.
After all, he took his 180m euro price tag in his stride when he moved to Paris from Monaco last August. There is an intelligence beyond his years that is apparent when Mbappe speaks or plays.
“The little guy is clever and that, for me, is the sign of a bloke who can go far,” Thierry Henry, to whom he has been compared, told Canal+ last year.
That was just as Mbappe’s career was taking off, but everything has happened very quickly for him in the last 12 months.
Mbappe has won a Ligue 1 title and been to a Champions League semi-final with Monaco. He has reached 10 caps for France and turned down a move to Real. “There were rumours about my transfer and it is true that I spoke to Real, but that is in the past now,” he had said in December about his decision to join PSG instead.
Despite the draw of playing for Zinedine Zidane, and alongside Ronaldo, Mbappe — from the Paris suburbs — preferred to join his local team. “It is like a kid from Madrid having the choice between playing for Real and wearing the colours of another team,” he said.
Having once plastered his bedroom wall with posters of Ronaldo, he could not miss the chance to grab a selfie with his hero. But Mbappe, scorer of 16 goals for PSG this season, is no longer in awe of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. “He was one of my idols as a child and it was nice to meet him when I visited Valdebebas. I loved him when I was little but that is finished,” he said.
PARIS:
NO ‘SECOND-STRING’
Liverpool’s 5-0 win in Porto last month virtually guaranteed them a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals but manager Juergen Klopp says he will pick a strong team for the return leg on Tuesday despite a trip to Manchester United looming at the weekend. “It’s not about rest. Porto have won all their games since we played them. They will strike back, that’s what they want. They are Portuguese and proud and will give a fight.”
LONDON: