Former England right-back Micah Richards has advised 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 could move to the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season.
The 23-year-old used to support the Whites in his childhood and wanted to leave PSG for Real Madrid last summer itself (via Mirror). Paris Saint-Germain, 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 the All Whites. 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.
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 scored both goals in Paris’ 3-2 aggregate defeat against Madrid.
On Wednesday night, 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 on Wednesday, scoring a brilliant goal from a tight angle.
Despite having a two-goal cushion heading into the final 30 minutes of the tie, Paris Saint-Germain 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 on Wednesday.
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 PSG, it could now be even tougher to tie their star down to a new long-term contract.