Kylian Mbapp may admire Cristiano Ronaldo, but he experiences Lionel Messi’s talent up close every day during his time with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which left him completely amazed. He recently revealed this on the podcast ‘The Bridge’.
What did Mbapp say about Messi?
Mbapp was asked about players he has trained with who he considers to be true football phenomena. The France national team star has shared the pitch with several world-class players throughout his career.
“Messi is cheating,” the Real Madrid forward joked in a podcast that also featured Orien Choamni and Achraf Hakimi, before being asked if Messi was technically better than Neymar. “It’s not the same,” he answered, but added: “Messi is doing everything well.”
He then shared an anecdote that highlighted Messi’s decisiveness and technical excellence. Mbapp experienced Messi’s greatness firsthand as a teammate and as a reference point during training sessions.
“Let me tell you a story. We were practicing finishing in Paris, and at that time PSG were at the top of world football. We had 10 shots… Neymar and I had six or seven goals. Messi had nine shots. He scored the exact same goal every time. It was like a kid’s practice session. He was tired and just passed the ball into the net. I was watching him and I couldn’t understand.
Mbapp and Messi were teammates at PSG for two seasons following the Argentine’s shock departure from FC Barcelona. The move surprised the football world, as many believed that Messi would spend his entire career with the Spanish giants.
