Topic: Kylian Mbappé. The best there is

[ScouserAtHeart]

Bret Hart doesn't like this

[RyanBabel19]

Mbappe being talked about in the same sentence as Maradona
Mbappe being described as a flat track bully when scores against some of the biggest sides out there and has a goal in the world cup final to his name

What a thread

[kaz1983]

Mbappe being talked about in the same sentence as Maradona
Mbappe being described as a flat track bully when scores against some of the biggest sides out there and has a goal in the world cup final to his name

What a thread

[Vinay]

Agreed. He should change his surname to Mehbappe.

[Andy82lfc]

Salah has reached higher heights (world cup excluded) and over a more sustained period for me, maybe not right now but was getting touted as the best in the world less that 12 months ago. Personally think he has always been criminally underappreciated.

Players like Pele (best ever for me) done it over decades consistently. Until Mbappe gets a few more years under him to see where he goes (and gets out of the farmers league) there's no way of knowing whether he will improve or just become another Neymar who had all the potential but never reached where he could/should have. 

[Black Bull Nova]

Well, he's scored a goal when winning the WC, won 5 French leagues (4 with the team that wins it most years regardless).


But he's only 23, some people thought Michael Owen, that fast paced goalscorer, was the best around at that age, no-one talks about Michael as the best evoer now.


I'd say he's probably the best around at this moment, but as has been said, this time last year it was M


Messi and Ronaldo are battling after the best ever that some people think Diego should have but, for me, Pele has to be comprehensively taken off that pedestal, 3 world cups, with him at the centre of each one, 7 Ballon d'Ors (same as Messi, 2 more than Ronaldo) plus the ordeal of fronting up the erectile disfunction campaign (albeit for money)

[Ghost Town]

Heh heh. If there's one thing more reliable than fans underrating their own team's players it's overrating other teams' players

[Coolie High]

That gets said a lot about Haaland but in fairness to him, his movement and his awareness are phenomenal. It's an interesting one between the 2 of them, could go on to be the 50/50 question in the next few years who you'd rather have.

Easily Mbappe.

[elbow]

Mo's better than both of them.

[FlashGordon]

Until Mbappe does it somewhere other than PSG there will always be doubters. He needs to leave if he wants to cement a real legacy.

[Eeyore]

Until Mbappe does it somewhere other than PSG there will always be doubters. He needs to leave if he wants to cement a real legacy.

He did it at Monaco as a 17/18 year old though. Scoring 26 in 44 matches as Monaco won the League and reached the CL semi-final.

[El Lobo]

His performances in international tournaments have almost negated the fact that he plays in a farmers league....but if he retires at PSG he's never going to be Messi/Maradona/Ronaldo levels.

[Knight]

His performances in international tournaments have almost negated the fact that he plays in a farmers league....but if he retires at PSG he's never going to be Messi/Maradona/Ronaldo levels.

This. And it's why his decision not to go to Madrid was utterly bizarre. Screwed us over on the Tchouameni thing too. Absolute shocker.

[Crosby Nick]

This. And it's why his decision not to go to Madrid was utterly bizarre. Screwed us over on the Tchouameni thing too. Absolute shocker.

Reckon Qatar made him an offer he couldn’t refuse to stay in World Cup year? Will he be on the move this summer or has he got himself stuck there for life?

[Lycan]

This. And it's why his decision not to go to Madrid was utterly bizarre. Screwed us over on the Tchouameni thing too. Absolute shocker.

It's just another example of how state-owned clubs are a cancer on football. Sure, nobody forced him to stay at PSG against his will. But they kept throwing so much money and power his way that it convinced him to stay in the end.

[rscanderlech]

Is it just me, or was peak Thierry Henry superior? He had most of what Mbappe has plus other things.

I also think people putting him above peak, pre-injuries Neymar have forgotten how good Neymar was at Barcelona. Neymar was this good or better.

Obviously Mbappe is really good though, and probably only Messi and De Bruyne compare at the moment.

[Lycan]

Is it just me, or was peak Thierry Henry superior? He had most of what Mbappe has plus other things.

Of course peak Thierry Henry was superior. I think the fairer question to ask is how they both compared at the same age. At 23 I don't think there is that much difference in ability. Kylian needs to leave PSG if he ever wants to reach or even exceed the level Thierry did though.

[tubby]

Henry had more artistry to his game, whereas Mbappe is the more direct of the two.

[El Lobo]

Of course peak Thierry Henry was superior. I think the fairer question to ask is how they both compared at the same age. At 23 I don't think there is that much difference in ability. Kylian needs to leave PSG if he ever wants to reach or even exceed the level Thierry did though.

Behave

[Lycan]

Behave

I honestly don't think there was. Mbappe may slightly edge it, but the difference wasn't huge IMO. At 23 Thierry was really starting to make a name for himself at Arsenal in arguably the strongest league in the world.

[rscanderlech]

People are assuming that Mbappe is not already close to peaking. He has played a lot of football already, and relies on his pace quite a bit. I am no expert and could be wrong, but I don’t think he will get that much better than he is now.

In that case, I think a comparison with Henry of around 2002-2003 is perfectly reasonable to me.

Edit: in fact I just saw that Mbappe turns 24 in a week: not that young anymore.

[Lycan]

People are assuming that Mbappe is not already close to peaking. He has played a lot of football already, and relies on his pace quite a bit. I am no expert and could be wrong, but I don’t think he will get that much better than he is now.

He's 23 mate. It's a bit of a presumption to suggest he's already hit his peak or is close to his peak, when really, more than likely, his peak years are still yet to come. As for the number of games played, according to Wiki, Henry at the age of 23 had played 261 games and Mbappe has played 309. So the difference isn't absolutely huge. Also, you need to take into consideration Mbappe plays in a far less demanding league. Most of those games will be an absolute stroll for him and his teammates.

[El Lobo]

He's 23 mate. It's a bit of a presumption to suggest he's already hit his peak or is close to his peak, when really, more than likely, his peak years are still yet to come. As for the number of games played, according to Wiki, Henry at the age of 23 had played 261 games and Mbappe has played 309. So the difference isn't absolutely huge. Also, you need to take into consideration Mbappe plays in a far less demanding league. Most of those games will be an absolute stroll for him and his teammates.

At the same age the vast majority of Henrys games had been in the same league....

[Lycan]

At the same age the vast majority of Henrys games had been in the same league....

While that is true Mr Lobo, French football was far more competitive back then. And he never played in a side anywhere near as dominant as Mbappe does with PSG.

[bornandbRED]

Yeah the best attacker in the world right now - he needs to either win multiple CLs with PSG or move league to get anywhere near the levels of the last gen’s best players.

Although Maradona may be the most iconic, Messi is the greatest/best ever footballer - struggle to see how people objectively argue against that. 

[The North Bank]

Is it just me, or was peak Thierry Henry superior? He had most of what Mbappe has plus other things.

I also think people putting him above peak, pre-injuries Neymar have forgotten how good Neymar was at Barcelona. Neymar was this good or better.

Obviously Mbappe is really good though, and probably only Messi and De Bruyne compare at the moment.

If mbappe was around back then people wouldn’t consider him on Henry’s level, but right now there’s a massive lack of talent, individuality is second to team play so he stands alone. He’s a better center forward , a number 9, than Henry, but as much as I rate him , I doubt he ll ever reach Henry’s flair and finesse. Mbappe is pure pace when he goes out wide, Henry was a magician with rapid speed. Also he’s approaching mid 20s in a league where Pepe looked a top player, so it’ll be interesting if he goes somewhere where he is tested every week.

[rscanderlech]

If mbappe was around back then people wouldn’t consider him on Henry’s level, but right now there’s a massive lack of talent, individuality is second to team play so he stands alone. He’s a better center forward , a number 9, than Henry, but as much as I rate him , I doubt he ll ever reach Henry’s flair and finesse. Mbappe is pure pace when he goes out wide, Henry was a magician with rapid speed.

This is how I feel. If Brazilian Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka etc. were Mbappe’s current competition like Henry’s was, how would he rank? Currently the competition isn’t at that level.

Mbappe is very good but Henry was better. Mbappe probably hasn’t peaked, but he needs to do that in order to be as good as Henry and others of that level, and it is very possible he is a year or two from peaking already based on his style of play.

People are saying he plays in a weak league as though that works in his favour: wasting precious development time in a place where it’s all too easy for you and you have ridiculous status could easily backfire.

I also just don’t find him exciting to watch in the way of the players I listed above: not as fun to watch. I know this is all quite harsh, but people here are comparing him with…Maradona?

[Lycan]

This is how I feel. If Brazilian Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka etc. were Mbappe’s current competition like Henry’s was, how would he rank? Currently the competition isn’t at that level.

Mbappe is very good but Henry was better. Mbappe probably hasn’t peaked, but he needs to do that in order to be as good as Henry and others of that level, and it is very possible he is a year or two from peaking already based on his style of play.

People are saying he plays in a weak league as though that works in his favour: wasting precious development time in a place where it’s all too easy for you and you have ridiculous status could easily backfire.

I also just don’t find him exciting to watch in the way of the players I listed above: not as fun to watch. I know this is all quite harsh, but people here are comparing him with…Maradona?

Let's keep it in the context in which you mentioned he'd already played a lot of games(like he's not far off from being burnt out or something), eh? In that context, of course it's going to benefit him if he plays in a less demanding league.

[Solomon Grundy]

I also just don’t find him exciting to watch in the way of the players I listed above: not as fun to watch.

You would have been better off posting this and leaving it at that mate.

[The North Bank]

This is how I feel. If Brazilian Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka etc. were Mbappe’s current competition like Henry’s was, how would he rank? Currently the competition isn’t at that level.

Mbappe is very good but Henry was better. Mbappe probably hasn’t peaked, but he needs to do that in order to be as good as Henry and others of that level, and it is very possible he is a year or two from peaking already based on his style of play.

People are saying he plays in a weak league as though that works in his favour: wasting precious development time in a place where it’s all too easy for you and you have ridiculous status could easily backfire.

I also just don’t find him exciting to watch in the way of the players I listed above: not as fun to watch. I know this is all quite harsh, but people here are comparing him with…Maradona?

I don’t think he’s as good as the players of that era yet, but I’m glad he’s around, he’s a lot more exciting to watch than for example Haaland , the rvn of this era.
Who else is around, Ronaldo is finished, Suarez too, Messi on his last hoorah, Neymar Salah and mane in their 30s, where are the world class attackers these days. Partly why a team like Morrocco can make the World Cup semis is because they’re not facing players that can break through their defence and cut them open by themselves.

[Black Bull Nova]

This is how I feel. If Brazilian Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka etc. were Mbappe’s current competition like Henry’s was, how would he rank? Currently the competition isn’t at that level.

Mbappe is very good but Henry was better. Mbappe probably hasn’t peaked, but he needs to do that in order to be as good as Henry and others of that level, and it is very possible he is a year or two from peaking already based on his style of play.

People are saying he plays in a weak league as though that works in his favour: wasting precious development time in a place where it’s all too easy for you and you have ridiculous status could easily backfire.

I also just don’t find him exciting to watch in the way of the players I listed above: not as fun to watch. I know this is all quite harsh, but people here are comparing him with…Maradona?

yeah, funny how Henry (outside Arsenal anyway) never gets mentioned as a world great. Some of it is who you play for (ie Real/Barca/Brazil) when you are at your peak.

[Solomon Grundy]

Everyone I've come across considers Thierry Henry a great, because he was. Was he on the same level as Maradona, Zidane, Messi, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho?...No...But he was still a special player.

[The North Bank]

yeah, funny how Henry (outside Arsenal anyway) never gets mentioned as a world great. Some of it is who you play for (ie Real/Barca/Brazil) when you are at your peak.

"The first day he entered the dressing room, I did not dare to look him in the face," Messi previously explained to L'Equipe.

"I knew everything he had done in England. I had an image of him made and suddenly we were on the same team. What I feel for Titi may be a form of admiration.

"I loved Henry. The ease of finishing an action, how he takes the road to the goal and ends the play. He gives the impression that it is natural. His career, his dribbling, the last gesture. It is fluid, proportionate."


Messi thought Henry was great anyway.

[JackWard33]

I’ve assessed it and it’s still Messi

[Iska]

Good point actually. Hopefully Mbappe takes it as motivation to raise it up a level.

[The North Bank]

Messi will be the best till he stops playing, probably.

[leinad]

If his Mum has any say he's coming to us...

[FlashGordon]

He did it at Monaco as a 17/18 year old though. Scoring 26 in 44 matches as Monaco won the League and reached the CL semi-final.

Brilliant stuff, great achievement for someone so young. It was one season though, in the French League.

[disgraced cake]

His break through at Monaco was really special. To be a key contributor to a title win at that age is special, especially when there's already a team like PSG who kept winning it before and since. I remember watching him in the Champions League knockouts that season against City and Dortmund and you knew then he'd be the real thing. Shame that team was broken up early even if we did nab Fab ourselves. PSG has obviously been a great move for him as he's scored a fucking ton but I imagine he's already desperate to win the Champions League and will look to do so going forward.

I think when Messi is retired then Mbappe will be the most talented/prominent footballer on the planet. Not exactly a bold prediction but think that's how it'll be.

[Ghost Town]

I think when Messi is retired then Mbappe will be the most talented/prominent footballer on the planet. Not exactly a bold prediction but think that's how it'll be.

To be honest I doubt it. Messi, and Ronaldo are extreme rarities, as was the other Ronaldo and Maradonna. Most of the time there is no 'most talented/prominent footballer on the planet'; rather there's a bunch of top names who vie and oscillate in being better and worse than each other between years, months, weeks and even between games, or based on whose talking about them.

Everything I've seen from Mbappe suggest he'll be at best within that bunch. And, of course, there'll be new additions to that group every year. There are always brilliant new players coming through. But very rarely is there a Messi level standout among them.