In the program « Rothen s’enflamme » on RMC Sport, Jean-Michel Larqué compares the career choices of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. According to the former player, it’s Haaland who made the better decisions.
Larqué believes that Mbappé moved to PSG too quickly. He thinks that Mbappé should have signed with a different club in 2017. « Let’s be clear, we’re not judging the quality of the footballer. I think Kylian Mbappé is superior to Haaland; there’s no problem with that. We’re not going to discuss national team results either. Haaland will never be a World Cup champion with his country, while Mbappé was a winner and finalist in the last two editions. But we’re talking about sporting choices and progression in clubs. »
« I looked at what Haaland did since his time at Molde. Then he went to Salzburg, which was at the beginning of the Red Bull adventure, and it wasn’t great in the first season, but much better afterward. He took a significant step at Dortmund (…) He took the final step by going to City, where he truly exploded. I think we can consider that it’s partly due to chance, but not entirely. »
« I think his choice (Mbappé’s) to go to Monaco and then Paris after his first season, he rushed through the stages a bit. It’s easy to say. I think he had some bad luck with his sporting choice at PSG. In terms of collective success, he fell behind Haaland, who climbed step by step, in clubs that were well-identified in terms of football (…) I think what’s missing in Kylian Mbappé’s career is the choice of the right club to progress. That’s where he’s behind Haaland. »