"He's among the 3 best players in the world" - Niko Kovac says PSG attacker Kylian Mbappe will win a lot of Ballon d'Or awards in the future
Monaco head coach Niko Kovac has backed Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe to win several Ballon d'Or awards in the future.
The PSG attacker finished sixth in the 2021 Ballon d'Or standings but has the potential to better his current position. Speaking about Mbappe's talent, Kovac said:
"Kylian is one of the three best players in the world at the moment. He will win a lot of Ballon d'Ors if he continues like this. He is making the difference for PSG at the moment. His speed, agility, his power. It's hard to defend against him. If he continues like this and stays healthy, he will be the best."
Mbappe scored both goals as the Parisians beat Monaco 2-0 in Ligue 1 last night (December 12).
PSG have several Ballon d'Or candidates on their team
PSG's front three of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are all individual superstars. These players have the capacity to win the France Football award every year. Messi is the only one who has done it so far, but Neymar and Mbappe are unbelievable players on their day.
PSG will be hoping their three superstars gel well upfront and lead the team to silverware in both France and Europe this season. Messi recently won his seventh Ballon d'Or and PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino encouraged him to win his eighth by helping PSG this season.
Speaking on Messi's world-record seventh win, the PSG coach had said:
"Leo [Messi] totally deserves his Ballon d'Or. I can understand the criticism in some countries but he deserved it and now he has to take advantage of it. Hope we are on the first day of building to his 8th."
Mbappe might leave PSG
Kylian Mbappe is in the final year of his contract at PSG. Real Madrid have been long-term admirers of the Frenchman and came close to signing him last summer.
Their €180 million transfer offer was turned down by PSG, who are desperate to keep the star forward at the club. However, Mbappe himself has indirectly hinted at leaving PSG sooner rather than later.
He will be free to negotiate a pre-contract with Madrid come January. Mbappe's free transfer would leave PSG in financial trouble, as they spent €180 million to sign the Frenchman from AS Monaco.