Kylian Mbappé is at the center of the Paris Saint-Germain project for the 2023-24 season. Over the last two seasons, the 24-year-old has shared the spotlight with Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.
However, the situation changed this summer. Messi left as a free agent this past summer to sign with Inter Miami. Meanwhile, PSG sold Neymar to Al-Hilal so the Brazilian could continue his career in Saudi Arabia.
Mbappé touched on playing with the Argentine, who recently won his eighth Ballon d’Or, and noted that PSG had a different player than the one at Barcelona. However, the winger said that Messi evolved as a player to keep playing at an elite level.
“Even the best players have had to change,” Mbappé told TF1 (h/t AS). “I played with Leo [Messi]. Leo changed his game. He was not the same player when he was at Barcelona as he was in Paris, and that is what enabled him to keep winning.
“Soccer dictates how long you play for. If you don’t change, soccer moves forward, and you fall into oblivion. Even the very best players have had to change.”
Unsurprisingly, the player in his mid-30s wasn’t the player he was in his prime years. As a result, anyone entering the twilight of their career must reinvent themselves to continue playing at a top level. Nonetheless, now at Inter Miami, Messi could dial it back a little.
