Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe put on a show the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and France last Sunday, which the South American nation won in penalty kicks (4-2).
AS Monaco and Chile international defender Guillermo Maripan has faced both players during his tenure with the Ligue 1 side and while on international duty taking on Argentina.
The 28-year-old has a feel for which attacker presents the more challenging qualities to defend.
“On an individual level, the most challenging is Messi, there is no doubt about that,” Maripan told reporters (h/t TNT Sports Chile). “Mbappe is also, but I think that Messi has been the most difficult to face.”
While the discussion is between Mbappe and Messi, there’s also the other player who’s pretty good on attack, Neymar Jr. The 30-year-old was heading into the World Cup in good form; however, Brazil failed to meet expectations heading crashing out in the quarterfinals against Croatia.
As a result, PSG should see a motivated Neymar ready to end the 2022-23 football season on a high note by helping the capital club win their first UEFA Champions League Final.