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French football icon Thierry Henry has named Kylian Mbappe as the 'heir' to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in world football.
The French attacker became the record goalscorer in Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) history on Saturday, March 4 with his 92nd minute strike against Nantes.
Mbappe scored his 201st goal for PSG, eclipsing Edinson Cavani to become the record goalscorer for the club as he helped his side clinch a 4-2 win against Nantes.
Thierry Henry has heaped praise on his compatriot and has admitted that he is proud of the World Cup-winning forward.
The former Arsenal superstar has also hailed Mbappe for his top-notch attitude on and off the pitch, declaring him the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Henry said, as quoted by Le10 Sport:
"If Mbappé is hot? It is never cold. Joking aside of course, 201, they must have scored goals in training too. What he does is just nonsense, I often say it, let's be proud and happy that he is French."
He added:
"For me what is super important and what we don't talk about enough is his professionalism. We always talk about his goals, his acceleration, but he's a guy who works, who comes to training early, who is always on the pitch, who always wants to learn and try to go further."
Henry has claimed to be a huge admirer of Mbappe and has tipped him to remain at the top of the game for many years to come. He further noted:
"When you look at the two bosses before him, (Cristiano) Ronaldo and Messi, it's the same thing. That's why I called him the heir because he's the one who comes after for me and that's clear."
“It's his desire that I like, his understanding of the game. You have to get up early to score 201 goals in 247 games, you have to live, breathe football, have this desire. This admiration I have for him is that I know it's hard to stay at the top level and do what he does."
Mbappe has scored 30 goals in 30 games for PSG this season while contributing with eight assists.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, has scored 18 goals and provided 16 assists in 29 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has scored eight goals in seven games for Al-Nassr since his January move to the Saudi Arabian club.
Ex-PSG star snubs Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as he names ‘best player in the world’
Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Daniel Bravo has labeled Kylian Mbappe as the best player in the world ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He told French outlet Telefoot (h/t GOAL):
"He is so intelligent that he knows what he needs to do to improve. So we don’t know where he can go. For me, he is the heir to Messi-Ronaldo."
He also said:
"Today, for me, he is the best player in the world. He makes his partners better. He gives strength to the team. It scares the opponent, who is forced to retreat a little more."
