“Kylian Mbappe declares Arsenal’s £130m-rated player as the best in the world, overlooking Rudiger, Marquinhos, Ramos, and Van Dijk.”
France superstar Kylian Mbappe has praised an Arsenal player for his outstanding performances during the 2023/24 season.
The Gunners finished second to Manchester City in the Premier League, just two points behind Pep Guardiola’s team.
Despite not winning the title, Mikel Arteta’s team had many positives, especially the performance of one player who even impressed Mbappe.
Kylian Mbappe considers William Saliba one of the best defenders in the Premier League. Mbappe and Saliba grew up together in Bondy, France, and attended the same primary school.
Mbappe’s father coached Saliba, and they often played together.
Mbappe, regarded as one of the world’s best players, has shown remarkable progress over the years.
Saliba, a few years younger than Mbappe, has also made significant strides and is considered one of the best young centre-backs globally.
Arsenal fans admire Saliba for his performances over the past two years. Mbappe, keeping an eye on his old friend, now believes Saliba is among the best centre-backs in the Premier League.
In an interview with Ouest-France, Mbappe said: “I have known him since he was very young. We were in the same primary school in Bondy. We played football together during breaks, even though we weren’t in the same year, but he asked to play with us because he was already big!
“Then, my dad trained him at AS Bondy. I am three years older than him, so I watched him grow up by following his journey and games closely. Seeing him in the national team, going from Bondy to Les Bleus, made me very happy. I tried to integrate him into the group as quickly as possible.
“This season, he has become a very important player for Arsenal and is among the best centre-backs in the Premier League. He is starting to get minutes with us. It’s now up to him to find his place.
“For me, he has all the qualities to, in time, be a starter with Les Bleus.”
After Saliba’s impressive season at Arsenal, he should be a clear choice for France’s first-choice centre-back.
However, Didier Deschamps has not been very impressed with Saliba. Consequently, the France manager is expected to start the Euros with Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano in central defense.
In our opinion, this would be a mistake.
Although Konate and Upamecano are excellent defenders, neither matched Saliba’s performance in the 2023/24 season. We believe Saliba deserves to start for France, but it seems unlikely at this point.