Kylian Mbappe responds after reports emerge of him saying he will be better than Messi
What's the story?
Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has responded after reports have emerged of him saying he will get better than Barcelona ace Lionel Messi.
In case you didn't know...
While Messi has been at the forefront of modern football with his exploits with Barcelona, Mbappe had only just risen through the ranks in the last few years.
However, judging by Mbappe's form at the moment, the Frenchman is well on his way to becoming one of the best in the game.
Despite missing out on the Ballon d'Or earlier this month, the youngster won the inaugural Kopa trophy for being the best player under the age of 21. He also controversially finished ahead of Messi in the rankings.
Recently, a quote claimed to be from Mbappe did the rounds on social media. The statement read, "Messi is a very exceptional player, but I still think if I continue to work hard, I can be better than him in 3 or 4 years. Of course I respect him very much, he is a great player."
The heart of the matter
The Frenchman himself has since responded to the quotes on Twitter saying, "I never said that. Messi have (sic) all my respect and my admiration."
Prior to the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Mbappe had maintained that Messi and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo remain the best in the world (via the Independent): "If you take the player in the purest form, there's nobody better yet. This year they were again the best two."
"Messi finished the best goalscorer in Europe; Ronaldo was the top scorer in the Champions League."
"Nobody is doing better at the moment and we can't say it's the end of their era because it will only end when somebody else does better than them."
What's next?
Mbappe's PSG are scheduled to face Red Star Belgrade in a Champions League game tomorrow.