The top youngster in world football at the minute, Kylian Mbappe, in an interview with France Football has made a surprise admission in terms of the best player he has faced in 2018.
Amazingly, he named Chelsea and Belgium wide man Eden Hazard as the most impressive opponent despite the fact that he has faced the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Mo Salah all this year, in an incredible twelve months for the Frenchman.
Mbappe said: “'I was amazed by his speed of execution, he is the player I played against this year impressed me the most. With Belgium, in the semi-finals, he was impressive while still respecting the game.
“When he has to pass the ball because the game commands it, he does so without any qualms. It's a devil.
“I was sometimes five meters away from him, and I was amazed by his speed of execution, with the ball sticking to his foot all the time, his permanent information with his head still down.
“There is no space he does not see.”
Mbappe has had a pretty impressive year himself, winning Ligue 1, the French Cup but of course, the crowning glory came in Moscow in July as he helped France lift their second World Cup trophy.
Hazard meanwhile has not had such a successful 12 months although he did lift the FA Cup at Wembley in May. The Belgian was knocked out of the World Cup at the semi-final stage by the eventual winners France. He is being hotly tipped to join Real Madrid as his contract runs out in 2020 and he seems unwilling to sign a new deal with the Blues.
Who knows, in a few years we could see both of these top talents link up at the Bernabeu.
