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Neymar Jr (10) and Kylian Mbappe (7) with teammate Lionel Messi by Bigmatbasket –

Neymar Jr vs Kylian Mbappe: Who’s the Best and Why

For years, the Messi vs Ronaldo debate has been the biggest debate, and rightfully so. These two are the biggest stars of their generation and arguably all of football’s history.

However, in 2011, a kid from Sao Paulo by the name Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior rose to the big stage. He had the flair of Ronaldinho and goal scoring ability of Pele. He was primed to be mentioned alongside Messi and Ronaldo. However, Messi and Ronaldo just did not let up and anyone can agree Neymar comes in third after the two aliens (you know, because they’re out of this world?).

Just as we were thinking we wouldn’t have anyone challenge Messi and Ronaldo’s records, in comes Kylian Mbappe Lotin from Â鶹APP. Currently 23, as of 2022, Mbappe is hitting new heights every season and while he is yet to warrant the Messi and Ronaldo comparisons, A conversation can be had on whether he’s better than Neymar.

This article will attempt to answer just that; who is best between Neymar Jr and Mbappe and why? The two are at different ages and points in their careers so we’ll have to break down the comparison to come to a sound conclusion. Enjoy!

Background

Neymar in 2010 by Sergio Savarese –

Neymar Jr is the son of Neymar Santos Sr. and Nadine da Silva and was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo in 1992. His father is a former footballer and he has been his advisor and manager throughout his career. Neymar caught the eye of the public while at Santos after making his debut at 17.

After 4 years at Santos’ senior squad, he moved to Barcelona and was part of the lethal MSN. He played for four seasons at Barcelona before leaving controversially for Â鶹APP Saint Germain. Neymar and his legal representatives paid a €222 million release clause to Barcelona which made him the most expensive footballer in history.

Kylian Mbappe was born in 1998 to Wilfried and Fayza Lamari. Wilfried is a football coach who doubles as Mbappe’s agent while his mother is a former handball player. He started out at AS Bondy under his father’s coaching before moving to the infamous Clairefontaine academy.

He was the subject of interest from several international and local clubs including Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich. However, he settled on Monaco, and in 2015 he made his senior debut at 16 years and 347 days breaking the great Thierry Henry’s record.

After 2 impressive seasons at Monaco, Mbappe moved to French giants Â鶹APP Saint-Germain (PSG) initially on a loan then on an eventual permanent transfer worth €180 million. He has been at PSG since playing alongside Neymar and he was joined by Messi in 2021.

In May 2022 he signed a contract extension until 2025. It made him the highest-paid player in the world with a monthly wage of £4 million! Therefore, it would be around €212,000 per day, roughly €25,000 per hour, or €416 per minute.

Breakout

Kylian Mbappe in 2017 by Biser Todorov –

Neymar and Mbappe both broke out spectacularly but from different continents and on international stages. Their debuts were not that far apart with Neymar debuting at 17 while Mbappe made his debut a few days before turning 17. Let’s see how the two faired for their first senior clubs when they broke through.

Neymar made his debut in March 2009 against Oeste. He scored 14 goals in 48 games for Santos in his first season. In 2010, Neymar hit new heights scoring 42 goals in 60 games and getting concrete interest from Westham and Chelsea but remained in Brazil. He also won the Campeonato Paulista for Santos.

In 2011, Neymar won the 2011 Copa Libertadores, the first for Santos since 1963. He also won the 2011 Puskas Award and the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year. In 2012, Neymar won the Golden ball, after scoring 14 goals in 16 appearances in Brasileiro Série A and retained the South American Footballer of the Year award. Before leaving Santos, Neymar had scored 105 goals and provided 76 assists in 186 appearances.

Mbappe broke through at Monaco in the 2016/17 season but had made his debut in the previous season. One can argue he broke through on a bigger platform (European football) as opposed to Neymar who broke through in the Brazilian league.

Mbappe a key member of an exciting Monaco squad won the 2016/17 Ligue 1 title beating out a dominant PSG side. He also reached the Champions League semi-finals and was eliminated by Juventus. Mbappe impressed immensely against teams such as Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.

He ended the season with 26 goals from 44 matches in all competitions. He left for PSG on loan after his breakout season.

Neymar and Mbappe Before Age 23

French team, including Mbappe, celebrate winning the World Cup 2018 in Russia by Kremlin.ru –

Neymar is currently 30, and according to average footballing stats, he is at the peak of his powers. Therefore, it is kind of unfair to Mbappe to compare him to a player who has already hit their peak. To this end, let’s see how the two measure up against one another before their 23rd birthdays.

 By age 23, Neymar had scored 219 goals in 359 matches compared to Mbappe’s 250 goals after 359 appearances. Both tallies account for club and country appearances and goals.

As of December 2022, Mbappe has won 13 trophies including the 2018 World Cup. However, the Champions League has managed to elude him so far. At the same of his career, Neymar had won 11 titles including the Champions League with Barcelona in the 2014/15 season. 

Neymar and Mbappe at PSG

Neymar in 2018 by Balkan Photos –

They might be rivals as far as this argument is concerned but Neymar and Mbappe are even better teammates. Yes, they’ve had some very public clashes and disagreements but it’s nothing new considering the level of ego at play with the pair.

Mbappe joined PSG on 31st August 2017 initially on a loan before joining permanently in 2018. His arrival was preceded by Neymar who had arrived a few weeks earlier on 3rd August 2017.

Since his arrival at PSG, Kylian Mbappe has played 237 games for Les Â鶹APPiens. In this period, he has scored 190 goals and made 93 assists. Neymar Jr, on the other hand, has played 186 games scoring 105 goals and assisting 76 times.

Now you may be wondering why despite them arriving in Â鶹APP at almost the same time, Neymar has significantly fewer appearances. Well, this is because Neymar Jr is significantly more injury prone compared to Mbappe.

In their stay in Â鶹APP, Mbappe has missed 20 games due to injury while Neymar on the other hand, has missed a total of 104 games due to injuries.

International Careers

Neymar in action for Brazil at the 2014 World Cup by Ailura –

Both Mbappe and Neymar are lucky enough to represent the best national squads; France and Brazil respectively. Despite the high quality of players in these squads, the two are the star players in both.

Mbappe made his national debut for Les Bleus (France’s national football team) on 25th March 2017. At 23 years of age, he has some staggering statistics for his country. Since his debut, he has made 63 appearances for Les Bleus and scored 33 goals. His best year came in 2018 when he helped France clinch the World Cup trophy. In 2022, Mbappe is leading his country to hopefully another World Cup.

As of the time of writing France has reached the semi-finals set to face Morocco. He has a total of 9 World Cup goals in his 2 World Cup campaigns. Considering he is only 23, he has a chance of smashing the current World Cup record of 16 goals.

Neymar made his debut for Brazil on 10th August 2010. Since then, he has accumulated 124 appearances and 77 goals matching Pele’s record of 77 goals for the Selecao.

Neymar represented his country in the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups but has not managed to lift the big trophy. Hopefully, his fortunes will change in 2022 as many Selecao fans will hope. Neymar has however won with Brazil, picking up an Olympic medal in 2016 and the Confederations Cup in 2013.

Abilities

Mbappe dribbling against Poland defenders at the 2022 FIFA World Cup by Tasnim News Agency –

Mbappe and Neymar are both very electric to watch. They never shy away from a challenge and most of the time they are the best players on the field whether playing together or separately.

By watching them, you can immediately see the differences in their style of play. Mbappe is a versatile player capable of playing in any position in the front three. As a striker or winger on any flank. Neymar on the other hand, while he also can play in any forward position like Mbappe, he plays primarily on the Left-wing.

In terms of their styles of play, Neymar is a creative playmaker and dribbler with a lot of skills. He prefers to take on players and enjoys 1v1 situations where he uses his skill to beat players. Mbappe on the other hand has exceptional speed and dribbling ability which he uses to break defensive lines and finish off attacking moves.

Both players are a beauty to watch and especially with Lionel Messi alongside them, the 2022/23 season looks good for PSG and its fans.

Conclusion

As we have established, Mbappe and Neymar Jr are different in many ways perhaps the most glaring difference being the stage they find themselves in their respective careers. Mbappe is only 23 years old while Neymar is 30 and at or saying goodbye to his prime.

The numbers also show that in terms of games played and goal contributions, Neymar is way ahead of Mbappe. Judging by the rate at which Mbappe is scoring and providing assists, I back him to surpass or at least match Neymar’s numbers.

So, who is the better player of the two, I’ll have to go with Mbappe! The reason being that we might (MIGHT!) have seen Neymar’s best. However, at 23, Mbappe’s best days are surely ahead of him.