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Anelka tells Mbappe the only way he can emulate Ronaldo and Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi
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Nicolas Anelka has revealed the only way Kylian Mbappe can ‘echo’ Ronaldo and Messi by becoming a Ballon d’Or winner.

Kylian Mbappe has to leave Paris Saint-Germain to become a Ballon d’Or winner like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, says Nicolas Anelka.

 The 22-year-old’s future is in doubt as talks over an extension to his contract, which expires in 2022, have made little progress. He reportedly remains undecided on whether to commit to PSG.

Despite considerable success in the French capital, Champions League and Ballon d’Or glory continues to elude Mbappe.

“If you want the biggest accolades, you will have to move from PSG at some point,” former PSG striker Anelka wrote in his The Athletic column about Mbappe.

“Whatever you will do in Paris will be good but somebody will always say, ‘Well, you did great for PSG but it was only in France. The best leagues are in England and Spain, so you didn’t compete with the best players in the best league’.

“You will have to decide. If you want to win the Ballon d’Or, which is what you should be looking at to echo Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, you will have to compete with the best.

“You can’t say you compete with the best all the time when you are at PSG. The French league is not easy, don’t get me wrong, but I think the toughest league is in England.

“So, if you want to be one of the best, then do what you do in Paris but with Chelsea or United or Arsenal or City or Liverpool. Or go to Spain to Madrid or Barcelona. Or maybe Italy.

“Then we can speak about a more global impact.”

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