It’s too late to be Messi, says Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has said that it is too late for him to follow the path of Lionel Messi and be a one-club man, instead saying he wanted his career to follow a similar trajectory to that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s.

The World Cup winner has never denied his admiration for compatriot Zinedine Zidane, but the Portuguese has also been something of a hero for Mbappe.

“If you’re French, then of course you grow up with Zidane as your idol,” Mbappe told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Another of mine was Cristiano Ronaldo, with whom I’ve already been able to measure myself against as an opponent, with the national team as well.”

Naturally, upon Cristiano’s name being mentioned, Messi’s followed shortly after. But Mbappe feels it’s too late to try to emulate the Argentine’s career.

“It’s too late for me to have a career like Messi. I’d have to have stayed with Monaco. But without taking anything from Messi, I now have to be inspired by Cristiano’s career.”

Mbappe might leave PSG in the summer, but for now he’s enjoying playing alongside Mauro Icardi and Neymar.

“Neymar is a great player and we have a good relationship off the pitch,” Mbappe said. “He’s had two difficult seasons, but he’s getting back to his best now, which is good for PSG fans and anyone who loves football.

“Mauro is one of the best strikers in the world, but he arrived with humility. He was determined to help the team and he only thinks about scoring. He’s already scored a lot of goals, proving his importance.”