“He is at the same level as Messi” – Ruud Gullit makes an emphatic claim about 24-year-old forward

Former Dutch player Ruud Gullit has heaped praise on Kylian Mbappe by comparing him with Lionel Messi.

At a press conference, he talked about the next possible Ballon d'Or winner (as reported via Times of India):

“Because Messi won the World Cup, he has the biggest chance of winning (individual honours), but Mbappe, my God, so much respect for him. He is at the same level (as Messi). What he has done in the World Cup final, to take that responsibility as a young kid, it’s unbelievable. I find that extraordinary.”

Messi finally won the World Cup with Argentina, lifting the special trophy in Qatar last year. Speaking about that victory, Gullit said:

"There was lot of pressure on him to win the World Cup, and he did it. Especially, for the legacy of Messi, this is fantastic. We have seen him do things that are out of order, that he is from a different planet, but winning the World Cup is exceptional. He is with the greats of football, as with Pele and Maradona."

The Argentine captain's club teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, Kylian Mbappe, was tipped to sign Real Madrid last summer. Praising the 24-year-old Frenchman for keeping his focus on the pitch, Gullit said:

“Mbappe is an unbelievable talent that you see every week. With all the stories about him going to Real Madrid (last season), he kept calm, still scoring goals, without caring about what people say about him. I am impressed with Mbappe. Really, really impressed."

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Gullit picks Napoli over Lionel Messi's PSG as favourites to win Champions League

The Champions League knockouts are underway. PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are among the favourites to win the competition this season. However, as per Gullit, it's Serie A leaders Napoli who could win the European trophy. He said:

“To me, Napoli are the favourites to win the Champions League, because it’s football that we all like to see. They attack, pass quickly, and it’s a team that we all admire. Bayern are strong, and we never know what Real Madrid will do, but I think Napoli are completely different. In the time that I played against Napoli (with AC Milan), it all depended on Maradona. This Napoli is total football team."

Napoli are up against Eintracht Frankfurt for their Round of 16 tie in the UEFA Champions League.