I know who I’d pick to win a cup final
Mbappe, Lewandowski, Muller, Di Maria or Neymar...
ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI and Neymar are two world- class strikers but they could hardly be more different. What Lewandowski does is phenomenal. He’s a real throwback to those oldschool No 9s, the likes of Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand. They link up play, hold the ball up and score lots of goals. Lewandowski is bloody good at it.
He’s humble, he just goes about his business. He doesn’t court fame and, probably because of that, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Neymar, on the other hand… well, he’s a world superstar. He has all the tricks, kids love watching him play, trying to copy him in the playground. Every time he gets the ball, even I get excited. I would rather watch him than Lewandowski. If I had to choose one to play with, I would pick Lewandowski if it was for an entire season, but Neymar for a cup final.
Even if you look at Messi and Ronaldo, the two greatest players of our generation, they are very different people but both are loved. Some love Ronaldo for that arrogance, how he expresses himself. Others love Messi for his humility, his grace and playing for the team.
Neymar and Lewandowski are as extreme as you can get for contrasting characters. But that still does not mean that one works harder than the other. I know Neymar has had criticism in the past with his over-exaggeration and the way he conducts himself but I have been impressed with how hungry he has looked since the restart: leading from the front and pressing well. He looks mature and his ability to go past people is sensational.
My gut feeling is that it is Neymar’s time. I felt for him a bit when he left Barcelona. When it was him, Suarez and Messi, t hey were phenomenal and a joy to watch. Barcelona made a mistake getting rid of him.
I still don’t think either him or Lewandowski are on the level of Messi or Ronaldo. Neymar is not that far away but I don’t think he will ever quite reach them.
If anyone can, and it will take nothing short of miracles to hit their levels for as long as they have, then I think it could be Kylian Mbappe.
I watched him at the World Cup and he is a special talent. Sometimes, even on the biggest stage, it looks like it comes easy to him. He has got everything he needs to become one of the very best.