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Mbappe has all the qualities to win the Ballon d’Or, says Anelka

Nicolas Anelka, Kylian Mbappe
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Nicolas Anelka believes Kylian Mbappe meets all the requirements to become a future Ballon d’Or winner.

Anelka is one of few footballers who can relate to what Mbappe is going through at this stage of his career, having been fast-tracked into stardom at an early age himself.

The Frenchman began his senior career at Paris Saint-Germain before being propelled to stardom at Arsenal between 1997 and 1999. It led to a €35m transfer to Real Madrid at the age of 20.

Despite winning the Champions League with Los Blancos, however, Anelka never lived up to his promise. His time in Spain didn’t last long, and a Ballon d’Or never came his way.

But the 41-year-old is confident Mbappe won’t share the same fate, tipping the PSG superstar to become the first French winner of football’s biggest individual honor since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.

Anelka told RMC Sport: “There are the old guys who are known and recognized, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but for me, it is Mbappe who is really the image of the prototype of the striker with all the qualities required to be a future Ballon d’Or winner.

“He’s very fast, very smart, very technical. He has the qualities to do great things. He has proven it time and time again and he shows it in every game. Neymar is very strong too. He is very strong too.”

Anelka briefly returned to PSG following his time at Real Madrid before playing for Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton, Chelsea, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, Juventus, West Brom, and Mumbai City.

The former striker retired from the game in 2016.

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