Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 10
AFP, Madrid: Former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema believes Kylian Mbappe must learn to play as a central striker in the Spanish capital because he cannot displace Vinicius Junior on the left wing.
Mbappe completed a dream move to Madrid this summer at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain deal, but has not hit top form under Carlo.
“The problem, in my opinion, is that (Mbappe) is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn’t feel right, because that’s not his position,” Benzema told Spanish television show El Chiringuito late Monday.
“On the left, he’s got a guy who’s at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem, you can’t play Vinicius as a number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game.
“Mbappe isn’t a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he’s under a lot of pressure, this isn’t Paris Saint-Germain.”
“(I’d advise him) don’t give up, because I don’t think he’s going to push Vinicius to move — he’s the best player in the world at the moment,” continued Benzema.
“Mbappe needs to get it into his head that today he’s a number nine, and forget about the left flank for a while.”
