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Former England right-back Micah Richards has advised Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Kylian Mbappe against joining Real Madrid, urging him to join Liverpool or Manchester City instead. The Frenchman is out of contract in the summer and has been highly tipped to move to the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season. He has also reportedly signed a pre-contract as per The Real Champs.
The 23-year-old has been an admirer of the Whites since childhood and wanted to leave PSG for Real Madrid last summer itself (as per Mirror). PSG, however, were chasing their Champions League dream at the time and wanted to field the front three of Lionel Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar.
Los Blancos’ advances were promptly turned down in last summer's transfer window, much to the frustration of the player.
Set to become a free agent in June, Mbappe could finally realize his childhood dream of playing for Los Blancos. Micah Richards, however, claimed that joining Manchester City or Liverpool would be better for the 2018 World Cup winner.
Speaking on CBS Sports (via HITC), the former Manchester City defender said:
“I don’t think he should go to Real Madrid though. But I would be going to Manchester City or Liverpool. They are the two best teams consistently, I would say in Europe. Yes, people will say ‘Man City have never won the Champions League’. But, the way they play, the points record. I would be going either Liverpool or Man City.”
Mbappe has been PSG’s standout player this season, comfortably outshining Lionel Messi and Neymar. Since the start of the season, he has scored 25 times and provided 17 assists across all competitions. He scored one goal in last night's (9 March) second leg and became the second-highest goalscorer for PSG with 157 goals, surpassing Zlatan Ibrahimovic's record.
Although he ended up on the losing side, Mbappe was the Parisians’ best player in their Champions League last-16 encounter against Real Madrid. He also scored in the 1-0 first-leg win over Madrid.
Defeat to Real Madrid could be a reality check for PSG star Kylian Mbappe
On Wednesday, 9 March, PSG met Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie. Mbappe’s solo effort won them the first leg in Paris, and the Frenchman delivered again, scoring a brilliant goal from a tight angle.
Despite having a two-goal cushion heading into the final 30 minutes of the tie, Les Parisiens fell apart, ultimately losing the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Mbappe’s compatriot Karim Benzema scored all three goals for the 13-time winners at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The PSG no. 7 was visibly upset after the defeat, and deservedly so. Except for him, no player from the visiting side stepped up, which was shocking considering the quality they have, especially up top.
The defeat could make the 23-year-old wary of the lack of camaraderie in the team, something Madrid have no shortage of. Even with an aging squad, Los Merengues triumphed over a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side, showing the importance of being a well-drilled unit.
After the horror show last night, we are not sure how Mbappe would feel about Paris’ big project. For the Parisians, it could now be even tougher to tie their star down to a new long-term contract.
