Shock: "Mbappé, why are you imitating Neymar?" Senior national team player delivers sharp rebuke... "Please return to the '2017 Mbappé' style of the space-destroyer"

*This content was translated by AI.

Kylian Mbappé (28, Real Madrid) has faced sharp criticism for losing his signature speed and imitating the play of Neymar (34, Santos).

France's Le 10 Sport reported on the 10th (Korea time) that former French national team midfielder Joao Miquel strongly criticized Mbappé's current performance during a TV broadcast.

The French national team defeated Northern Ireland 3-1 in the final friendly match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup held on the 8th.

The media reported that although Michael Olise led the victory with a hat-trick, Mbappé, who started as the forward, failed to show any distinct activity throughout the match.

Miquel identified the cause of Mbappé's slump as "imitating Neymar." The analysis suggests that during their six seasons together at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Neymar's style was forcedly copied, which ultimately became a poison. The media pointed out that "despite the two players having completely different strengths, Mbappé has lost his own improvisation and explosive power as a 'space-destroyer'."

Miquel recalled, "The best Mbappé I have seen was the 2017 Mbappé who aggressively penetrated space." He further added, "Just as Brazil's former star Ronaldo maintained 'space penetration' as a weapon throughout his career despite having numerous strengths, Mbappé should also receive a pass from a teammate and run into space, but he has now lost that ability."

He strongly urged Mbappé to find his original identity. Miquel said, "It seems the experience of playing with Neymar had a negative impact on him. Everyone is holding back and not speaking up, but someone needs to clearly tell him, 'You are not Neymar.'" He raised his voice, stating, "Mbappé is at his most fantastic when he uses his overwhelming speed to penetrate the space behind."

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*This content was translated by AI.