“I’m a big fan of Kylian Mbappe but he’s not showing it” - Van der Vaart snubs Real Madrid’s Mbappe and Vinicius; names best player in the world now
Former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has named Mohamed Salah the best player in the world ahead of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe. The French superstar arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu this summer as a free agent following the expiry of his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) contract.
However, the 25-year-old has failed to live up to expectations, although he has registered 10 goals from 20 games across competitions. Vinicius, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on the Ballon d'Or this year and has been in superb form for Real Madrid.
Speaking to BetMGM, however, Van der Vaart insisted that Salah's consistency puts him ahead of the Brazilian and Kylian Mbappe right now.
I think so, yes, [Mohamed] Salah is the best. I am a big fan of [Kylian] Mbappe but he is not showing it at the moment. You have Vinicius Jr too, but I think that Salah has been consistent for so many years," said Van der Vaart.
Van der Vaart advised Salah to sign a new deal with Liverpool.
"You can see [Mohamed Salah] feels really at home at Liverpool and he should stay. It’s the same with [Trent] Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, they should stay at Liverpool too. Liverpool is a huge club that is doing really well at the moment and I only see Real Madrid as the club you never say no to," said Van der Vaart.
The Egyptian's contract with Liverpool expires at the end of this season.
Are Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior struggling to play together for Real Madrid?
Kylian Mbappe was highly influential for PSG, registering 256 goals and 108 assists from 308 games across competitions, playing mostly in the left-forward role. However, the French superstar has been forced to operate in a centre-forward role at Real Madrid, due to the presence of Vinicius Junior.
The Brazilian ace is the chosen man for the left-forward position for Los Blancos and has been doing it with aplomb for years. He has already scored 12 goals and set up eight more from 18 games this campaign.
As such, Mbappe is unlikely to oust him from the position. Meanwhile, the LaLiga champions have struggled for consistency this season, losing five of the last 11 games. If Real Madrid are to improve, Carlo Ancelotti has to find a way to get the best out of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior as a team.