Football

World Cup 2022: Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand agree on only defender who can stop Kylian Mbappe

December 2, 2022 1:30 pm
World Cup 2022: Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand agree on only defender who can stop Kylian Mbappe

Ex-England defenders Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand have agreed that only Kyle Walker is capable of stopping Kylian Mbappe at the 2022 World Cup.

The France star has three goals from his three group matches for Les Bleus, scoring a double against Denmark and one against Australia.

At the age of just 23, he now has 31 goals for the national side. His tally is level with the legendary Zinedine Zidane, three behind David Trezeguet and six behind Karim Benzema.

France topped their group in Qatar with two wins and a loss, and will now face Poland in the Round of 16.

Should they win that game, and should England beat Senegal in their Round of 16 match, the two footballing giants will meet in the quarter-final.

England have the ‘perfect’ defender to take on Mbappe

Should the tournament go as many expect it to, Mbappe will be lining up against the Three Lions very shortly.

And former England defender Neville believes England have the perfect defender to deal with the threat of Mbappe in the form of Walker.

The Manchester City man went into the World Cup struggling with injury, but has since recovered, starting and playing 57 minutes in the win against Wales.

“I always thought we’d play three at the back in this tournament, but I don’t think we will now,” said Neville, as reported by the Mirror.

“I didn’t think the centre-back pairing would be strong enough, but John Stones and Harry Maguire are holding up.

“It’s whether what they’ve played against so far in the first three games is going to be anything like what they face moving forward, and I don’t think it is.

“It looks like a collision course waiting to happen doesn’t it? Mbappe versus Walker. We’ve got the perfect right-back to deal with Mbappe if anyone can – physical, pace, experience.”

Ferdinand backs Walker to take on France star

Neville’s former Manchester United and England teammate Ferdinand was in agreement. He believes Walker is the only player capable of matching the PSG and France attacker.

Ferdinand said: “For me, Kyle Walker is the only defender on the planet right now that will stand there and go to Mbappe: ‘Right, 1-v-1, let’s have a race.’

“He will back himself too. We saw it in the Euros. He’s got the confidence to do that and he’s the only one capable of doing that I think.”

Mbappe

Mbappe already a World Cup icon

In his two World Cup tournaments to date, Mbappe has scored seven goals. It’s more than the likes of Harry Kane, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, and just one behind both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The attacker shone in the 2018 event, scoring four goals, including one in the 4-2 final victory over Croatia. The PSG icon picked up the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award for his performances.

Along with several other regulars, Mbappe started the final group game against Tunisia on the bench, before appearing in the 63rd minute. He looks set to be fresh and ready to go for France’s showdown with Poland on Sunday.

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