Football

Neymar salutes Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward Kylian Mbappe controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on February 16, 2021. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)


Brazilian superstar Neymar has described his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe as the golden boy of the club. Neymar joined PSG in the summer of 2017 following a trophy-laden stint at FC Barcelona.

Neymar and Mbappe are expected to lead the line-up for PSG in Tuesday’s second-leg, quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League and the Brazilian had nothing but complimentary words for his strike partner, who he says has helped off the field.
“He taught me a lot about the way ‘to be French,’” Neymar told France Football. “He explained to me the French mentality. “I owe a large part of my adaptation to him, and, therefore, my happiness to be here.
“First of all, I was very touched by the man he is. Kylian is very considerate, always happy, polite and kind to everyone. He is a very beautiful person. That’s why we’ve got along so well since our first contact.
“Then, of course, I had the opportunity to watch him train, to observe his speed, his dribbling repertoire, his intelligence and to see his humility to keep evolving. There, I said to myself: ‘he is our golden boy!’
“Speed alone doesn’t mean anything. You have to be smart to use it properly, and Kylian is. He is not only very smart and fast, but he also has a huge repertoire of dribbling.”

Story by Sammy Wejinya

Sammy Wejinya

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