Spanish journalist sends warning about Barcelona duo to Kylian Mbappe as he nears Real Madrid move
Spanish journalist Jota Jordi sent a warning to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe as he nears a move to Real Madrid. Jordi claimed that playing against Barcelona's star centre-back duo Pau Cubarsi and Ronald Araujo might not be a walk in the park for the Frenchman.
Mbappe announced his departure from PSG in a video clip released on May 10, sending football fans into a frenzy about his imminent move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid have been chasing the 25-year-old for over six years now and they seem to have finally achieved the breakthrough in securing his transfer.
Mbappe is expected to move to the Spanish giants on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season. He could become the latest addition to Madrid's galaxy of young superstars, which already includes Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr.
With the signing of the Frenchman, Los Blancos will be expecting to dominate Spanish and European football for the foreseeable future. However, Jordi claimed that it would not be so straightforward for them against Barcelona's robust defense.
The Spaniard said (via El Chiringuito TV):
“Mbappe to Real Madrid? Mbappe, you will know who Pau Cubarsí and Ronald Araujo really are."
The forward absolutely dominated French football at the Parc des Princes, with a gobsmacking record of 255 goals and 108 assists in 306 games for PSG. However, he could never win Europe's premier club competition, the UEFA Champions League, in his seven seasons at the club.
What happened in Kylian Mbappe's previous clashes against Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi and Ronald Araujo?
Kylian Mbappe has already faced Barcelona's centre-back partnership of Pau Cubarsi and Ronald Araujo in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League this year.
In the first leg of the tie, 17-year-old Cubarsi kept Mbappe in check throughout the game. The Frenchman was clearly struggling from the Spaniard's unyielding marking, as he failed to register a single shot on target.
Mbappe completed only one out of four dribbles against Cubarsi and was forced to pass the ball backwards rather than make a burst into the box on multiple occasions. Barcelona won the game 3-2 away at the Parc des Princes, taking an important lead home to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
In the 29th minute of the second leg, Araujo was shown a red card which has divided opinions among football fans. Even with the opposition reduced to 10 men, Mbappe didn't have much of an impact on the game until the 61st minute.
The Frenchman scored from the penalty spot to take PSG to 3-1 on the night before adding the final nail in Barca's coffin in the 89th minute. A sprawling Cubarsi could do nothing but watch in despair as Mbappe swept the ball into the bottom corner after being pinballed around the Catalans' box.
PSG won 6-4 on aggregat and Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League. Cubarsi and Araujo will be awaiting Mbappe's arrival in La Liga to potentially exact their revenge against the Frenchman in Real Madrid colors.