"Putting people on a pedestal who aren’t on a pedestal" - Evra says Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe should never be compared to Thierry Henry
Patrice Evra has emphatically dismissed any comparison between Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and French football legend Thierry Henry. In a recent statement, the former Manchester United defender expressed his belief that the hype surrounding Mbappé is misplaced, particularly when juxtaposed with Henry's extraordinary achievements and impact during his illustrious career.
Kylian Mbappe is being touted as one of the best players in the world at the moment. The former Paris Saint Germain man made a name for himself, particularly after his exploit with France in the 2018 World Cup in his teenage.
Besides his 2018 World Cup triumph, Mbappe has also set and broken numerous records in the French national team. He became France’s youngest goal scorer in World Cup history at 19, and his goal in the final of the 2018 edition against Croatia made him join Brazil’s Pele as the only teenager to have scored in a World Cup final.
Henry, on the other hand, while not having a goalscoring record with France as Mbappe has, won more trophies with Les Bleus than the Real Madrid man. Thierry Henry won three trophies with France, which included the World Cup, Euros, and the FIFA Confederations Cup. Mbappe has one trophy less, as he has only won the World Cup and UEFA Nations League.
Despite the achievements of both players for the French national team, Patrice Evra has advised against comparing Mbappe with Henry, as he believes the former is not even on the same level as former France player and 1991 Ballon d’Or winner Jean-Pierre Papin.
Evra said on RMC Sport podcast Rothen S’enflamme:
"When you start saying that [Mbappé] is the best player or one of the best, I’m thinking, he doesn’t even come close to Jean-Pierre Papin. Let’s never compare Mbappe to Thierry Henry. Let’s never compare him. You’ve created this product. For me, [Mbappe] takes too much heat, but when you talk about the best players in the world… Guys, did you see Henry’s performances? You’re putting people on a pedestal who aren’t on a pedestal.”
Meanwhile, Thierry Henry had insisted earlier last year that Mbappe has already surpassed him as a footballer. It is also important to note that Mbappe is just three goals behind Henry in the list of France’s all-time top scorers.
Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid must ''take advantage'' of Kylian Mbappe’s ''best form''
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is happy about Mbappe’s recent upturn in fortunes. The 27-year-old joined Los Blancos last summer from PSG but initially struggled to find his groove in the Spanish capital.
However, it’s now a different story for the Frenchman who has found his Midas touch lately. He has scored 14 goals in 27 appearances this term and was on the scoresheet in Real Madrid’s 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.
Speaking on Mbappe’s current form, Ancelotti said:
"He needed time to adapt to the team to show his best form physically. Now he is in his best form and the team has to take advantage of that."
