Lionel Messi lastly has one thing Kylian Mbappe already had with a World Cup winners’ medal. Now Mbappe needs what Messi has received many occasions: the Ballon d’Or.
After their fascinating duel in a wild World Cup last, the event’s finest participant Messi and its high scorer Mbappe are agency front-runners to win the subsequent males’s Ballon d’Or.
Call it Messi vs. Mbappe half II, and it continues Wednesday when the Paris Saint-Germain teammates face Angers in a French league sport. Messi was given an prolonged break again residence in Argentina after the World Cup, however has resumed full coaching and PSG coach Christophe Galtier hopes he’ll be able to play.
Because they play for a similar group, their rivalry may intensify over the remainder of this season.
The 35-year-old Messi has received a document seven Ballon d’Or trophies given to the very best participant in Europe. Only 5 Frenchmen — together with Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema — have received it however the 24-year-old Mbappe has by no means been on the rostrum.
Mbappe made his targets clear whereas on the ceremony when Benzema received: “For me, of course it’s an objective to win one or many of them. But of course there’s a process to reach that. I think I’m on the right track.” A challenger this time may very well be prolific Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, however he didn’t play on the World Cup — not to mention star in it — after Norway didn’t qualify.
Mbappe received the 2018 World Cup with France when he was simply 19. Messi waited agonisingly lengthy to get his fingers on the trophy, dropping within the 2014 last. He did so in type final month when Argentina beat France to win its third World Cup title in arguably essentially the most intense last within the event’s 92-year historical past.
Messi’s two targets within the last capped a exceptional event the place he scored seven occasions, completed as the very best participant, and reached a whopping 98 targets general for Argentina.
The good news for Argentina followers is that he needs to play a short time longer sporting the Albiceleste jersey.
Mbappe, in the meantime, grew to become solely the second participant to attain a hat trick in a World Cup last and completed one forward of Messi on eight targets as event’s high scorer — the primary to succeed in that haul since Brazil’s Ronaldo in 2002.
Mbappe’s general tally of 12 World Cup targets places him degree with Brazil nice Pele — and one behind Messi and Frenchman Just Fontaine, the single-tournament document holder with 13 in 1958.
Former West Germany striker Gerd Mueller (14), Ronaldo (15) and document holder Miroslav Klose of Germany (16) are properly inside Mbappe’s sights contemplating the younger Frenchman could have three extra World Cups forward of him.
By the 2026 World Cup, Mbappe also needs to be properly in entrance as France’s all-time main males’s scorer. He at the moment has 36 targets and World Cup teammate Olivier Giroud leads Les Bleus with 53.
By the time the subsequent World Cup comes round, Messi shall be practically 39 and maybe retired from soccer altogether.
So the coast is obvious for Mbappe to pulverise World Cup scoring information.
But earlier than he begins excited about that he has the urgent matter of a primary Ballon d’Or to win, and it’s a tall order with Messi as his major rival. But what a deal with in retailer for French soccer followers in the event that they each preserve elevating their sport.
Mbappe performed for PSG 10 days after dropping the ultimate in Qatar, displaying nice dedication to place that defeat behind him.
The Ballon d’Or race has the makings of a basic contest between the teammates, since they had been each in effective kind for PSG earlier than heading to the World Cup.
Mbappe tops the league scoring charts with 13 targets and Messi is tied with PSG teammate Neymar for essentially the most assists (10). Mbappe is co-top scorer within the Champions League with seven targets, whereas Messi once more heads the assists chart with 4.
Messi received the Champions League 4 occasions with former membership Barcelona, the place he grew to become a celebrity and scored 672 targets earlier than becoming a member of PSG final season.
PSG has by no means received the Champions League and this might show a key think about Ballon d’Or consideration — particularly if Mbappe leads the French big to the European title.
If Messi doesn’t play Wednesday at residence, PSG’s subsequent sport is at Rennes on Sunday.
“He had an extraordinary World Cup with a lot of physical effort and challenges,” Galtier mentioned. ”We hope he’s prepared for (Angers).”
