Pelé has high hopes for Kylian Mbappé’s career. The football legend from Brazil sees qualities of himself in the play of the Paris Saint-Germain striker, Pelé says in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. Mbappé scored 23 goals for PSG in 31 official games this season.
Since his arrival in 2017, Mbappé has recorded a total of 155 games, scoring 113 goals. He is only 22 years old and can therefore still take big steps, Pelé knows. Known as one of the most prolific goal scorers of all time, the 80-year-old former forward thinks Mbappe can match his level. “He can be my successor”, says Pelé in an interview with the Italian sports newspaper.
“I’m not saying that as a joke. I recognize myself in his ability to put so much speed into his game,” he adds. “He is a striker who takes thinking steps very quickly on the field. When the ball arrives, he already knows what he wants to do. He already knows where to go and how to find the best solution. These are important qualities in the game. modern football. His dribbles are just as fast as his sprints without possession, just like me. ”
Pelé met Mbappé in Paris in 2019 and has already said that he considers the Frenchman capable of scoring 1,000 goals in his career. “I made exactly 1025, so 1000 is possible for him,” said the former footballer. Mbappé himself made a comment on this with a laugh. “Even if I add the goals on the playgrounds and my goals on the PlayStation, I’m not going to make 1000, I think. There’s only one ‘King’ and it’s there,” he said of Pelé. “The comparison is flattering, but I’m never going to deliver what he did.”
Mbappé scored three goals in the Champions League match against Barcelona (1-4) on Tuesday 16 February and scored twice against Dijon (0-4) last Saturday. His contract expires in the summer of 2022 and PSG is making efforts to have Mbappé sign for at least three additional seasons. Last month, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano stated that Mbappé wants to earn more than 25 million euros net annually; he currently collects a maximum of 21 million euros gross, including bonuses.