Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have created an era of soccer that has not been seen before, having dominated Europe for the past decade. After their subsequent departures, it is hard to imagine a current player in Europe that can reach their levels.
But if there is one player that can reach their levels, that is Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman is currently one of the world’s best forwards and according to a fellow young superstar, he could be the next elite player.
Kylian Mbappe gets nod from Enzo Fernandez
According to Chelsea and Argentina superstar Enzo Fernandez, only Kylian Mbappe has what it takes to inherit the thrones of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. In an interview with Rodrigo Lara, the young midfielder chose this answer.
He was asked by the interviewer to mention three players that could be the best in the world after Messi and Ronaldo: “Name me three best football players you think will be the best in this new decade after what Messi and Ronaldo did?”
But Enzo could only think of one player who had the quality to belong to that elite league. He chose Mbappe as the only choice: “It’s very hard to say it, but I think Kylian Mbappe is that type of player.”
• “Name me three best football players you think will be the best in this new decade after what Messi and Ronaldo did?“
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) October 3, 2023
Enzo Fernández: “It’s very hard to say it, but I think Kylian Mbappe is that type of player.” @Rodrigo_Lara_Tv 🤝🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/rxxMCEu6sI
The Argentine midfielder saw the quality of Mbappe firsthand when he faced him in the World Cup final against France. Despite a two-goal lead by Argentina, Mbappe managed to score a hat trick to bring France back level to 3-3 after extra time. Afterwards, Argentina won on penalties and Kylian won the Golden Boot award for the tournament.
Perhaps Enzo has also seen the parallels between himself and Mbappe. While Enzo was the World Cup winner and individually won Best Young Player this year, it was his French counterpart who won both in 2018. Leading his country to a World Cup victory at 18, there is no doubt that Kylian Mbappe has already cemented himself as a top player.
PSG star picks Mbappe ahead of Messi and Haaland for 2023 Ballon d’Or
Kylian Mbappe had a brilliant season both for club and country and had already established himself as a world-class forward for Paris Saint-Germain. Real Madrid were heavily interested in getting him this year, though it did not happen.
He had a brilliant season last year, scoring 29 goals to help PSG win the Ligue 1 trophy. Overall, he had 41 goals and 10 assists in just 43 games for PSG, which is very impressive for any player. As mentioned before, he also had another good World Cup campaign with France.
All of this has put the 24-year-old in contention to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. His only competitors are Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup against him and current European rival Erling Haaland, who won the Golden Boot and the treble with Manchester City. Since he only won the league, he is not being mentioned as one of the favorites to win the award.
But Achraf Hakimi, his teammate at PSG, believes that Mbappe is the rightful winner of the award. In an interview with beIN Sports France, the Moroccan right back chose his French teammate to win the Ballon d’Or: “Compared to what he did this last year, for me, he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or. He’s a great player and I hope he can win it this year.”
While he may not win the award this year, he is definitely on the right track this season. Mbappe has already started the season well, scoring seven goals already. He will hope to add another as PSG travel to Newcastle for their UCL group stage match.
