Kylian Mbappé (20-12-1998, Paris) stepped onto the Camp Nou lawn for the first time in his professional career on Monday in the session prior to the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Barça. Football Europe looks at him this Tuesday. With almost 22 years of age, he is facing one of the challenges of his career. He opens in one of the temples of world football with the feeling of being able to do something great. Without Neymar, and with Barça's defense greatly diminished in the area of the field that he normally slaughters, it is a good night to claim his fame.
Pochettino gave him affection yesterday afternoon. Pampering a player who will not have to face Sergi Roberto, who knows that Dest is not at the top, and who calculates that his marker may be an inexperienced boy from the subsidiary, Óscar Mingueza. All a candy for someone who is on everyone's lips, but what He has not yet taken up the baton of the competition despite that impressive staging in 2017 with Monaco. Then, Mbappé scored two goals against Guardiola's City to eliminate him in the second round; and three to Dortmund de Tuchel to throw him into the quarterfinals. He also rushed Juve in the semis.
It was when Mbappé jumped onto the international scene and Barça, according to Javier Bordas, a former manager with Bartomeu, had the option of signing him for 100 million euros. Bordas blames Pep Segura and Robert Fernández, responsible for the sports management at the time, for having chosen Dembélé. Of course, Bordas, the manager responsible for football, said this in 2020, not in 2017.
These days, and for obvious economic reasons, Mbappé is no longer a real target for Barça. On the contrary, a concern. Although he is going to step on the Camp Nou for the first time tonight, they know him well in the dressing room. To get started, Koeman has suffered as a Dutch coach. Mbappé scored a goal in the Nations League. Players like Griezmann, Dembélé and Umtiti are world champions in Russia with him; and Lenglet has also shared a dressing room.
Messi has also suffered. Unleashed, Mbappé was key in the eighth World Cup against Argentina. He scored two goals and shattered, again, Leo's dream in Kazan. But those who bet on starting a race between Mbappé and Messi begin to sense the difficulties in the comparison. Despite not being a scorer in the beginning, Messi has 653 in 759 games for Barça, at an average of 0.86 per game. Despite being a scorer from the beginning, Mbappé has 138 goals in 215 games (0.64 on average). Being Maradona every day is not easy. Mbappé wants to shout today at the Camp Nou that he is the future, but the keys to that house, until he wants, Messi still has.