Former French star Michel Platini has refused to compare his young compatriot Kilian Mbabi and the legend of Brazilian football Pele, saying the Paris Saint-Germain striker still needs time before he can be compared.
The former president of the European Union said Mbabi, who emerged with the 2018 World Cup, "is very, very, very fast ... he is asking for the ball in time, running away from censorship in a timely manner, accelerating in time, .
Platini, however, refused in any way to compare one of her current stars, and "King" Pele, in remarks to French radio station "RMS".
"If Mbabi wins three World Cups, we can compare him to Pele ... We will see, let him play, we will decide, we will judge him ten years later," he said, adding that the young striker's performance was "impressive".
Mbabi scored four goals in the World Cup, including a goal in the final that the team won against Croatia 4-2. Mbabi, aged 19 and six months, became the second youngest player to score a goal in the final of the World Cup after Pele, who scored 17 and 8 months in Sweden's 5-2 victory in the 1958 final.
Pele won the World Cup title in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
Pele, 77, had previously praised Mbabi. "If Kilian continues to equalize my record, he may have to play again," he said in a glee after France's goal in the final.
In September, Pele sent Mbabi a gift, a shirt from his former club Santos, signed by his signature. "Thank you for the wonderful gift, O King," Mbabi thanked him with a tweet through his Twitter account.
