“He is the best player in the world” – Bayern Munich star hails ‘extraordinary’ PSG hero Kylian Mbappe
Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano has branded Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) frontman Kylian Mbappe the best player in the world.
Upamecano kept Mbappe at bay during Bayern's 3-0 UEFA Champions League last 16 aggregate win over the Parisians. However, the Frenchman has stressed that he'd much rather have his compatriot in his team than as an opponent. Upamecano said (via talkSPORT):
“It’s much easier to have him in your team. You have to always be well balanced, ready to move in any direction; to be vigilant, watching his positioning on the pitch and also his body language."
Kylian Mbappe has been in sensational form this season, scoring 31 goals in 35 games across competitions. Upamecano then went as far as to deem the PSG forward the best player in the world:
“He is the best player in the world – he is extraordinary.”
Upamecano was speaking ahead of his side's UEFA Champions League quarterfinal meeting with Manchester City. The French defender will come up against another in-form European striker: Erling Haaland. The Norweigan frontman has bagged an astounding 44 goals in 38 games this season.
However, Upamecano will take confidence from how he and his Bayern teammates nullified the threat of Mbappe in the previous round. The striker has torn defences to shreds throughout the season and is regarded as a future Ballon d'Or winner.
It will be intriguing to see whether Haaland can do what Mbappe couldn't against the Bundesliga giants.
Manager Christophe Galtier confirms PSG held talks with Kylian Mbappe after promotional video row
Kylian Mbappe made headlines last week after slamming PSG for using him excessively in a promotional video for their 2023-24 season tickets. The French forward said:
“I was never informed of that — I don’t agree with that video published. PSG is a top club and family — but it’s NOT Kylian Saint-Germain”.
Speculation grew over the Frenchman and the Parisians' relationship, which was already not the fondest. Galtier has confirmed that the club have held talks with their No. 7 in the aftermath of the video spat. He said (via ESPN):
"I know there have been a lot of discussions between the management and Kylian. The incident or misunderstanding has been cleared up."
The Frenchman was painted as the face of the Parc des Princes in the video. However, his PSG teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar didn't feature in the advertisement.