Kylian Mbappe can go on to be the equal of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after his hat-trick saw Paris Saint-Germain destroy Barcelona 4-1 in the Champions League.
That was the gracious take of Mbappe's France team-mate Antoine Griezmann, who was on the receiving end of his countryman's heroics at Camp Nou in Tuesday's last-16 first leg.
Messi gave Barca the lead from the penalty spot to score in Europe's top competition for a 17th consecutive season, matching a record set by Real Madrid great Raul.
From then on, however, it was the Mbappe show as Barcelona suffered another humiliating outing on the biggest stage.
A superb equaliser created by Marco Verratti meant it was all square at the interval and Mbappe fired Mauricio Pochettino's men ahead after the hour and completed the rout with a sumptuous finish into the top corner after Moise Kean headed home Leandro Paredes' free-kick.
"PSG have a very big star of the future who will be at the level of Leo and Cristiano," Griezmann told RMC sport.
"I can only congratulate him."
Mbappe became the third player in Champions League history to score a hat-trick against Barcelona and the first for almost a quarter of century after Newcastle United's Faustino Asprilla and Dynamo Kiev's Andriy Shevchenko both achieved the feat in 1997.
It was a sensational all-round performance from the 22-year-old, who also made four key passes to create chances for his team-mates.
"We needed to have a perfect match. We didn't and they did. It's a big defeat," Griezmann said.
"We were ready, we wanted to play a big game, but they were better than us. There is nothing to say. Kylian was having a great night."
Barca need an improbable repeat of the heroics that saw them overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against PSG at the same stage in 2017 when they head to Paris for the return next month.
Despite the odds being stacked heavily against Ronald Koeman's side, Griezmann is not giving up.
"You have to go there to win and turn the situation around. We're not going to go there as tourists," he added.
Millwall sign Hibernian striker Kevin Nisbet for ‘seven-figure fee’
Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet has left Hibernian for Millwall after the two clubs agreed “a significant seven-figure fee”, the cinch Scottish Premiership outfit have announced.
The deal for the 26-year-old, whose exact price tag remains undisclosed, includes both add-ons and a sell-on arrangement.
A statement on Hibs’ official website read: “We can confirm that Kevin Nisbet has joined English Championship side Millwall for a significant seven-figure fee.
“The full terms of the 26-year-old’s departure will remain undisclosed, however, it does include sizeable add-ons and a sell-on fee.”
Millwall had a bid, understood to be in the region of £2million, accepted for Nisbet in January, but the player ultimately opted to stay in Scotland.
Hibs’ chief executive Ben Kensell said: “After deciding to stay in January, Kevin informed us that he wanted to leave the football club this summer, which we understood.
“Following those discussions, we had to ensure we got the best possible deal for him. We’re happy with the fee we received, and we wish him all the best for the future with Millwall.”
Nisbet, who joined Hibs from Dunfermline in July 2020, scored 12 goals in 19 league appearances last season after recovering from a knee injury which sidelined him for 10 months.
Manager Lee Johnson said: “We’re disappointed to lose Nizzy after he did so well for us on his return but understand that he wanted to go on a new adventure down south.
“Although he will be missed, this presents a new opportunity for someone else to step into that role. We thank him for his contribution and wish him all the best in England.”
Vermes: Sporting Kansas City unlikely to sign Ronaldo
Sporting Kansas City are unlikely to make another move to try and sign Cristiano Ronaldo in an attempt to compete with Inter Miami bringing in Lionel Messi.
That is according to SKC coach Peter Vermes.
Sporting were interested in signing Ronaldo after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner left Manchester United late last year.
However, the MLS side could not make a deal work that would compete with the offer Ronaldo received from Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.
It was confirmed this week that Messi would be joining SKC’s league rivals Miami, but Vermes shrugged off the chance of signing Ronaldo.
“No, he’s wrapped up for two years on a significant amount of money. I think the transfer fee would be a little out of our range,” he said ahead of SKC’s meeting with Austin FC.
“At the time when we were thinking about doing that deal, [Messi going to Miami] was in the back of our head, because there was talk of him going to Miami at the end of the world cup. It could have been – could have, should have, would have – those are all kinds of things in life. The fact that [Messi] is coming is tremendous.”
Vermes explained he is thrilled to see Messi come to MLS, comparing the Argentine to NBA icon Michael Jordan.
“I thought when David Beckham came to the league he had an incredible impact on our league, and the notoriety that got worldwide, he helped achieve a new bar in how people perceived our league,” he said.
“Messi’s the best player in the world, so to be able to have the best player in the world playing in the league that you’re involved in, that’s tremendous. It’s a huge opportunity for our league, it’s great in so many ways and from the fans’ perspective too. It’s like watching Michael Jordan play basketball – he’s from another planet that guy, when he plays.”
FA and PFA study finds increased dementia risk in ex-footballers
Former professional footballers are almost three and a half times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than the general population, according to a study commissioned by the Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association.
First findings of the FOCUS study, conducted by the University of Nottingham, support previous research that former footballers may be at higher risk of neurocognitive disease.
The new report states that 2.8 per cent of retired professional footballers in their study reported medically diagnosed dementia and other neurodegenerative disease compared to 0.9 percent of controls.
This means former pros in the study were found to be 3.46 times more likely to have neurodegenerative diseases compared to the control group.
The study also showed retired footballers in the study were twice as likely to fall below established thresholds in some dementia testing than the general population.
Dr Charlotte Cowie, the FA’s head of medicine, told the governing body’s website: “The FA and the PFA jointly commissioned the FOCUS study in order to gain additional insight into the findings of the FIELD study, and to further examine any potential link between neurodegenerative disorders in former professional footballers.
“The FOCUS study worked with an established group of former professional footballers that were participating in research and was able to review their brain health, and it supports the previous findings in the FIELD study which suggest an increased risk for neurodegenerative disease in former professional footballers than in the general population.
“This is an extremely complex area of our game, but we are committed to working collectively with our stakeholders to help grow our knowledge in this area through further medical and expert analysis.”
The initial findings of the FOCUS study will be shared with both FIFA and UEFA, and the FA has reiterated its support for further research from across the wider game to help build a better understanding of players’ brain health and well-being.
“This is an important new study which supports previous evidence suggesting that footballers are at greater risk of dementia and poorer cognitive functioning in later life,” said the PFA’s head of brain health Dr Adam White.
“Studies such as this… ensure that targeted and evidence-led action can be identified and taken to support and protect players at all stages of their career.
“Continued investment in this type of research will remain absolutely vital.”
An FA statement read: “The FA has led the way in taking steps to help reduce potential risk factors within the game (including) establishing industry-leading concussion guidelines, introducing the world’s most comprehensive heading guidance at every level of the professional and amateur game in England, and implementing a new trial to remove deliberate heading in football matches across under-12 level and below.
“Further findings from the FOCUS study will be published in due course.”
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