Ballon d’Or: Mbappe can take over from Messi, Ronaldo if…

Kylian Mbappe must move away from Paris Saint Germain in order to follow in the footsteps of multiple Ballon d’Or winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Rivaldo.

Since bursting onto the European stage with Monaco in the 2015-16 season, Mbappe has emerged as one of the most exciting young players on the continent, while also excelling at international level with France.

The 20-year-old joined French champions PSG on loan in 2017 – with the deal made permanent for a £166 million ($214m) fee the following year, completing his meteoric rise to prominence.

In addition to winning the World Cup with his country in 2018, Mbappe already has six major trophies to his name at club level, including three Ligue 1 titles.

The talented forward has been leading from the front for PSG once again at the start of the 2019-20 campaign , scoring five goals in seven appearances across all competitions.

A number of experts have tipped Mbappe to pick up the mantle as the best player in the world when Juventus forward Ronaldo and Barcelona talisman Messi finally hang up their boots.

However, ex-Brazil international Rivaldo feels the PSG superstar must first seal a move to either Spain or England, with the “competitive level” in France not up to the same high standards as in the Premier League or La Liga.

“There’s no doubt Mbappé has the qualities to become one of the best in the world, as he is playing great football and has huge potential,” Rivaldo told Betfair 

“He would be able to develop his talent by playing La Liga or the Premier League. Ligue 1 is clearly below the competitive level of Spain or England.

“With all due respect to PSG, I believe he must leave for a Spanish or big English team in the future to confirm himself as the heir to Messi or Ronaldo. The best players need to play in the best leagues.

“But I think it would be tough for Barcelona to sign him in the future, as he is very expensive due to his young age, world champion status and natural ability that makes him one of the biggest prospects in the world of football.

“If Barca had so many problems in trying to sign Neymar, just imagine how much PSG would be asking for the Frenchman, so it’s almost impossible to bring this excellent player to Catalonia at the moment.”

Rivaldo’s former club Barcelona have not been at their free-flowing best at the start of the new season, despite adding Antoine Griezmann to their all-star attacking line up during the summer transfer window.

It has been suggested that Ernesto Valverde’s team has lacked an extra spark in the final third since Neymar left the club to join PSG in 2017, which is partly why he was so heavily linked with a return to the club earlier this year.

Rivaldo does not think Griezmann is capable of filling the void left by the Brazilian in Barca’s starting XI just yet , insisting it will take time for him to adapt to a new style of play at Camp Nou after spending so many years at Atletico Madrid.

“Barca’s new attacking trio, of Messi, Luis Suárez and Antoine Griezmann (MSG), is giving some good signs and showing it can work in the future, but I don’t believe it will reach Messi, Suarez, Neymar (MSN) level,” he added.

“Neymar is a distinctive player who creates a lot of assists, scores many goals and takes control of the game when needed thanks to his personality. That’s something Griezmann doesn’t have yet, and even though he has scored goals already, he hasn’t fully adapted to his new team’s style of play. It could be a while before we see him playing at the same level as we saw for many years at Atletico Madrid.

“He is not yet irreplaceable in the team and keeps being subbed before the end of matches. That doesn’t happen to Messi or Suárez. Even when they are not playing well, they stay on the pitch thanks to their status and ability to make the difference at any time.”

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