Speaking at the press conference before the match against Gibraltar in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Mbappe did not hesitate to declare Messi the best player in football history.
Mbappe is said to have had a bad relationship with Messi during his time at PSG. However, the French striker surprised everyone when he was the first person to congratulate El Pulga after the Argentine player won the 2023 Golden Ball.
Mbappe affirmed that Messi deserves to win the 2023 Golden Ball. The French striker also rated El Pulga as the best player in football history (Photo: Getty).
Not stopping there, Mbappe also affirmed that Messi is the greatest player in football history.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference before the match against Gibraltar in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, the striker born in 1998 said: ‘I am not a person who is afraid or avoids problems.
I have no problem with the 2023 Golden Ball or my (third) ranking. Messi deserves to win that title. He won the World Cup so he deserves the Golden Ball award. To me, Messi is one of the best players in history, if not the greatest.
Haaland has had a wonderful season. Me too. But everything Haaland and I have done cannot be compared to winning the World Cup. After losing to Messi in the 2022 World Cup final, I understood that I would lose to him in the Golden Ball race. Leo deserves this honor.’
Mbappe foresaw losing the Golden Ball to Messi after losing in the 2022 World Cup final (Photo: Getty).
Mbappe’s future has been a widely discussed topic recently. This player only has a contract with PSG until June 2024 and there is no move to extend the contract. It is not excluded that the 25-year-old striker will become a free agent after the end of this season.
When asked about his future at PSG, Mbappe said: ‘If you want to know that, come to the PSG press conference room. There, I will answer this question. Now, I just want to focus on highest for the national team’.
At 02:45 on November 19, the French team will welcome Gibraltar at home. Coach Deschamps and his team are sure to have tickets to attend Euro 2024, but they still fight for the goal of winning in the qualifying round.
