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Established 1961 27 Sports Thursday, July 5, 2018 France’s Mbappe sprints towards superstar status at World Cup Lilian Thuram expects Mbappe to thrive on the challenge MOSCOW: As Didier Deschamps plots another World defender Lilian Thuram expects Mbappe to thrive on Cup title tilt with France, Kylian Mbappe, who was not the challenge. even born when his coach lifted the trophy in 1998, has “He is young, and young players really enjoy them- become an indispensable figure for Les Bleus. It was selves when the standard of the opposition increases,” only two-and-a-half years ago that the teenager made said Thuram. France great Thierry Henry, who followed his professional debut, but the rise of Mbappe-the a similar trajectory to the top as Mbappe, cited the lat- second-most expensive player in history-has been ter’s intelligence as the driving force behind his success. meteoric. “When I watch him dribble, he’s thinking,” Henry After winning successive French league crowns with said in an interview with Canal+. “There’s something Monaco and then Paris Saint-Germain, the 19-year-old that gets me going and saddens me at times. We often announced himself on the global stage by knocking speak of a player and say: ‘He’s fast, he’s tough, he Lionel Messi’s Argentina out of the last 16 in Russia. jumps high’, but we never speak about a player’s brain. With Cristiano Ronaldo, a childhood hero of Mbappe’s, “He thinks when he plays, and that for me is the crashing out of the competition on the same day with most important thing in a player, he uses his brain,” Portugal, it felt like a passing of the torch to a new gen- explained Henry. “It’s the sign of a guy who can go eration. very far.” Ludovic Batelli, coach of the France team Mbappe’s breathtaking acceleration and steely com- that won the Under-19 European Championship in posure were used to devastating effect as he became 2016, said Mbappe had a rare level of maturity for the first teenager since Pele 60 years ago to score at someone so young. least twice in a World Cup match. “I gave Kylian a new “He has this clear-headedness, this sangfroid in front nickname, it’s 37, because he reached a peak of 37km/h of goal which is the mark of great goalscorers,” said (kilometres per hour) against Argentina,” said France Batelli. “It’s often acquired more in the second part of teammate Florian Thauvin. one’s career. He has it at a very, very young age. It’s To put his searing speed into context, triple Olympic what is going to allow him to become a future great.” 100-metre champion Usain Bolt’s career peak was Mbappe scored 21 goals in his first season in Paris clocked at 44.72 km/h during his world record run at after joining the club in a monumental deal worth an the 2009 world championships. And while Mbappe may eventual 180 million euros ($210 million). Paul Pogba, be the game’s new superstar, the French teenage sensa- one of the cornerstones of the current France side, said tion is not forgetting his roots. Mbappe has only just scratched the surface of what he According to L’Equipe, he has promised to donate is capable of achieving. MOSCOW: France’s forward Kylian Mbappe (R) and teammates control balls during a training ses- his World Cup bonus to organise sporting initiatives “He’s got a lot more talent than me,” Pogba said of sion at Glebovets Stadium, Istra outside of Moscow yesterday, during the Russia 2018 World Cup for children in hospital. He will likely find a robust Mbappe. “And he’s not going to stop there. He’s got so football tournament. — AFP Uruguay defence far less charitable, but former France much talent.” — AFP statement during Real’s celebration parade through the Ronaldo receives Spanish capital the next day, when he told a mass of supporters: “See you next season.” The Portugal forward was reported to be on the verge of leaving last Neymar should offer to sign June after a news story appeared in Portuguese newspaper Record declaring he was unhappy with the club. for Juventus He also caused a stir in 2012 when he declared in a drop injury act: post-match interview after a game with Granada: “I’m sad and the club know why.” Spanish newspaper Marca MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo has received an offer to suggested yesterday that Ronaldo is unhappy at Real Matthaeus leave Real Madrid and join Italian champions Juventus, because they are searching for a successor to him and a source close to the player told Reuters yesterday. president Florentino Perez has publicly courted Paris St MOSCOW: Brazil winger Neymar is a world class Ronaldo, who joined Real from Manchester United in Germain forward Neymar, urging the Brazilian last year footballer who does not need to exaggerate when 2008 for a then world record 80 million pounds to come to Madrid if he wants to win the prestigious his is fouled because it does not earn him any sym- ($105.65 million), is the Spanish club’s all-time top Ballon d’Or award. pathy with the fans, former Germany captain and scorer with 451 goals in all competitions and has won Ronaldo scored two goals against Juventus in Real’s World Cup winner Lothar Matthaeus said yester- two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies 4-1 win in the 2017 Champions League and struck a day. Neymar, who has scored twice so far to help with them. jaw-dropping bicycle kick against the Italians in a 3-0 Brazil into the World Cup quarter-finals in Russia Despite the glut of silverware, however, the five- win in a quarter-final first leg game in Turin which where they will face Belgium on Friday, has been times world player of the year has had frequent fallouts prompted Juve supporters to give him a standing ova- sharply criticised for a string of exaggerated reac- with Real and has declared on several occasions that he tion. The Portuguese converted a stoppage-time penal- tions when clashing with an opponent. wants to leave the club. Moments after lifting a third ty in the second leg to knock the Italians out 4-3 on “Neymar does not need it. He is an excellent consecutive Champions League trophy by beating aggregate. Ronaldo had an explosive start to the 2018 player, one of the five best players in the world,” Liverpool 3-1 in the final on May 26, Ronaldo appeared World Cup by scoring a hat-trick in his side’s 3-3 draw the 57-year-old Matthaeus, who won the 1990 to suggest he had already decided to leave Real, telling with Spain and he hit the winning goal in a 1-0 win over world Cup with West Germany, told reporters. a television reporter on the pitch at Kiev’s NSC Morocco. He missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Iran “Why does he need the acting? Olympic Stadium: “It was beautiful to play for Real and failed to score in his side’s 2-1 defeat by Uruguay Cristiano Ronaldo “It does not bring him sympathy. (1986 World Madrid.” Ronaldo, 33, appeared to backtrack on that in the last 16. —Reuters Cup winner) Diego Maradona was not acting, (Argentina captain) Lionel Messi is not acting. We need players like Neymar but not the acting.” the first names on Tite’s squad list for the Matthaeus said it was up to referees to put a stop Paulinho rises World Cup. Hard running and aggressive, to it, adding that during his playing days Paulinho has played every game for the Colombia’s Carlos Valderrama was one such cul- Selecao in Russia as Brazil have established prit but now there were just too many. from footballing themselves as favourites for a sixth world “I remember Colombia (against England on title heading into Friday’s quarter-final Tuesday) how they were acting,” he said. England grave with against Belgium in Kazan. beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties in a bad-tempered An artisan box-to-box operator among game that was almost constantly interrupted with the artists of the Brazil team, Paulinho has a referee Mark Geiger booking six Colombians and Messi assist knack of being in the right place at the right two English players. time, as he showed when he latched onto “In the 1990s they had one Carlos Valderrama, KAZAN: If there is one Lionel Messi assist Philippe Coutinho’s through ball to score now Colombia have six. I don’t like this provoca- over the last year that Brazilian football fans against Serbia. tion and acting and I cannot understand why a should be grateful for, it is the one that If Messi played a part in securing his player likes to cheat. With video assistant referees helped take Paulinho from the elephants’ move to Barcelona, the resurrection of (VAR) this should not be possible.” graveyard of modern football to the Nou Paulinho’s international career was down to Matthaeus also blamed Geiger for not punish- Camp. Twelve months ago, Paulinho was at the appointment of his former boss at ing players for it. “You have to cut this. He (Geiger) Guangzhou Evergrande in the Chinese Super Corinthians as Brazil coach. “One person forgot to cut it at the right time. He let them League and resigned to playing out the who always believed in me was Tite,” (Colombians) do it.” Geiger awarded England a prime of his career against the likes of Paulinho added.

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