Upstart Mbappe could step on Neymar’s toes

– Neymar (right) left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain 12 months ago in a bid to move out of Lionel Messi’s shadow and confirm his status as one of the world’s best players, but the Brazilian may have to share the mantle of talisman with teenage prodigy Kylian Mbappe this season.

The French champions start the defence of their Ligue 1 title against Caen at the Parc des Princes tomorrow, and all eyes will be on Neymar after he missed the final three months of last term with a foot injury.

The world’s most expensive player has been the subject of con- sistent speculation linking him with a move away from France, with reports usually suggesting he will sign for Real Madrid, but he insists he’s not done with PSG yet.

“Yes, I will stay in Paris. I have a contract with PSG. The speculation? The majority of it is invented by the press,” Neymar told ESPN Brasil last month.

“I have a contract and people know the objective, the reason why I went to PSG. I want to win things with this club.”

Neymar returned in time for the World Cup, but failed to inspire Brazil to a record-extending sixth title as they suffered a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Belgium.

Mbappe, on the other hand, was named as the tournament’s best young player after scoring four goals – including two in a scintillating individual performance against Argentina – to help France lift the trophy.

The 19-year-old capped it off by becoming only the second teenager in history after Pele to score in a World Cup final, netting in the 4-2 victory over Croatia in Moscow.

The transfer fee of €180 million which PSG paid Monaco for Mbappe is not far behind the world-record €222m they parted with for Neymar.

New arrival Gianluigi Buffon believes that Mbappe can follow in Pele’s footsteps by becoming an all-time great, having played against his then-Monaco team in the 2017 Champions League semifinals for Juventus.

“When I spoke (after the match) with (Juve centreback) Andrea Barzagli, who is one of my great friends, he told me ‘Gigi, in 20 years of my career I have rarely seen a player run so fast with the ball, I had a hard time stopping him’,” the 40-year-old Buffon told PSG’s club magazine. – AFP