France star Aurelien Tchouameni claims Kylian Mbappe is the best in the world ahead of Lionel Messi and will ‘prove it’ in the World Cup final… but his team-mate Antoine Griezmann disagrees and says the Argentine great is still No 1
Aurelien Tchouameni has claimed France team-mate Kylian Mbappe is the best player in the world ahead of the World Cup final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
The Real Madrid midfielder was quick to heap praise on the PSG star – who donned close friend Achraf Hakimi’s Morocco shirt in his celebrations on Wednesday – and ominously warned that he would be proving his credentials on Sunday.
Les Bleus‘ Antoine Griezmann had suggested facing Messi was an entirely different prospect to any othe World Cup clash after helping his side secure a spot in the final with a 2-0 win over Morocco, but Tchouameni is clearly of a different opinion.
Aurelien Tchouameni (C) believes Kylian Mbappe (R) is the best player in the world right now
‘For me, Kylian is the best… And he will prove it on Sunday,’ Tchouameni claimed, following Griezmann’s insistence on Messi’s position in the game.
But the Los Blancos midfielder – who has starred for France in Qatar – argued that it was not a simple matter of 11 v 1, and that his side would have to do more than stop just Messi in the heavyweight clash.
‘It’s complicated to win, but we’re all going to work together to do it. We are going to make a plan, recover well and work to win this game because Messi will be there, but he also has ten other players by his side.’
The PSG star has five goals at the Qatar World Cup as well as two assists in France’s title defence
Karim Benzema is a player that has returned to the forefront of football speculation as he returns to Les Bleus training after having to pull out of the tournament earlier through injury.
Didier Deschamps has already deflected questions on the Ballon d’Or winner’s prospects of having a role in the final, but Tchouameni indicated that he is still very much in contact with the rest of the squad.
‘Yes, he was very happy for everyone,’ he added when asked if Benzema had spoken with his team-mates.
Tchouameni himself has perhaps profited from injuries to other players in the squad, with both Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante ruled out earlier this season ahead of the tournament.
Antoine Griezmann had claimed that Lionel Messi was the leading figure in world football
But the 22-year-old has held down the midfield for a French side bidding to become the first side to retain the trophy since Brazil triumphed in both Sweden 1958 and Chile 1962.
Both Messi and Mbappe have struck five times in Qatar, with the former also assisting three and the latter two, and the race for the golden boot will surely come down to Sunday’s grand finale.
The pair represent two prongs of arguably Europe’s most lethal attacking trio, alongside Neymar, at PSG, and Messi and Mbappe alone account for 31 goals and 19 assists this season.
Tchouameni warned that team-mate Mbappe would prove that he is ‘the best’ on Sunday
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