“I can give him the ball at left-back and he might score” - Rio Ferdinand names player he prefers from Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand chose Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe over Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich marksman Harry Kane.
The Frenchman scored both goals for PSG in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 matchup against Real Sociedad, helping them win the game 2-1 and progress to the quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate.
Kane also scored a double of his own, helping German giants Bayern Munich overturn a 1-0 deficit from the away leg against Lazio to win 3-1 on aggregate. Haaland is set to feature against Copenhagen on March 6, with City leading the tie 3-1 after the first leg.
Kane and Mbappe currently sit together atop the Champions League scoring charts, with six goals each. Haaland is hot on their heels with five of his own.
After reviewing the highlights from Tuesday's (March 5) games, TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods asked Rio Ferdinand:
"If you could only put one of those three in your team, who would you be picking?"
The Manchester United legend replied:
"Mbappe, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. They're all great. There's no bad or wrong answer here really, but... Mbappe man. I'd pay everyday to watch him train let alone play in a match, because he creates things on his own. I can give him the ball at left-back and he might score."
He added:
"I can give him the ball anywhere on the pitch and he could create something. The other two not so much. They are great, don't get me wrong. But Mbappe's just got that something different that would make me sit up at night and go: 'Thank you, God.'"
Mbappe draws level with Eusebio and Filippo Inzaghi in UEFA Champions League scoring charts
With the two goals against Real Sociedad, Kylian Mbappe also equalled Portuguese icon Eusebio and Italian sniper Filippo Inzaghi's 46-goal mark in the UEFA Champions League.
The legendary Portuguese forward, who was nicknamed the "Black Pearl", achieved the feat in 65 UCL games for Benfica, while Inzaghi, lovably called "Pippo", did so in 81 games for Juventus and AC Milan.
Mbappe has achieved the milestone in 69 games, but is still far away from the record goalscorer in the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar scored a staggering 140 goals in 183 UCL appearances, playing for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.