Kylian Mbappe accelerates for Lionel Messi by Marseille Captain for Champions League collision

Kylian Mbappe has become one of the worldwide faces of football and the leading candidate to succeed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the dominant figure of the sport. With the French star, however on the face Olympic Marseille in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League opener, Marseille’s Captain made the headlines by placing Messi for him.

The 2025-26 Champions League starts on Tuesday with selection framework matchups throughout Europe, including Real Madrid organizes Marseille in the Santiago Bernabéu. Prior to the collision, team captain Leonardo Balerdi Set the tone by trivializing the status of the new superstar from Madrid.

During Monday’s press conference, Balerdi was asked if Mbappe, his direct rival in the game, was the best player in the world. His answer left no room for doubt: “Until Messi retires, Messi will be the best player in the world. But I am sure that Kylian is also one of the best in the world. He has been proving it for years and this year he is also at a large level.“

Balerdi has settled as a cornerstone for both Marseille and the national team of Argentina, where he is expected to be part of the team for the World Cup 2026. Despite several fights with Mbappe during his PSG years, The middle behind made it clear that Messi remains unparalleled in his eyes.

Asked if Marseille had drawn up a specific plan to stop Mbappe, Balerdi focused on the collective challenge. ‘If you look at the names on the schedule of Real Madrid, it is impressive. But we have to work in the same way. The players are top quality, but we have to do what we do every weekend: stay focused,“He said.”Every chance can change the course of the game. We are ready to play against these great players. It’s a challenge, and we have to be smart“He added.

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Of Real Madrid receives a huge injury boost from Jude BellinghamThe team enters the Champions League opener as one of the favorites of the tournament. Nevertheless, the comments from Balerdi have already added extra intrigues if Marseille seems to be pulling a shock to the Bernabéu.

Mbappe and his dominance against

As Balerdi noted, Mbappe enters the Champions League on the back of one of the best seasons of his careerWinning his first golden boot in 2024-25. Already with four goals in his first four LA Liga matches, the French attacker will now be confronted with one of his favorite opponents.

Between his time at AS Monaco and PSG, Mbappe played Marseille 16 times, won 14 and pulled twice. He scored in those competitions 10 Goals and delivered Three assistsImmediately contribute to 13 goals. Now, with Real Madrid, he will be happy to expand that dominant record in his Champions League debut for The whites.