Former French center midfielder Paul Pogba and current national team superstar Kylian Mbappe both won a World Cup together in 2018, and while Pogba is no longer relevant on the pitch in the world of football, the man Zinedine Zidane used to dream about bringing to Real Madrid is still an icon whose words are held in high regard.
Pogba was one of the best midfielders in the world and a technical wizard with an eye for the pass like none other back when he was playing, particularly when he was competing for Champions League titles in his first Juventus stint, and he loved releasing Mbappe on those runs in behind back before the former PSG man became known as the world's best player.
Mbappe is breaking World Cup records all these years later after nearly winning another trophy for France four years ago, and with another brace to kick off the Round of 32 this year against Sweden, Mbappe has France looking like favorites once more.
Paul Pogba still has love for Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid fans had to suffer through a rough period of months from Mbappe on the pitch to close the 2025/26 La Liga and Champions League seasons, but now for France at this World Cup, Mbappe is back to his best and reminding Madridistas why he is unlike any other player.
Paul Pogba feels this, too, and he gave his former teammate the highest of praise, via the Madrid Zone, stating he is the only player in the world who can change the game all by himself by simply just getting on the ball and going.
The former Manchester United man said of Kylian Mbappe, “Who is my World Cup MVP forward? Kylian Mbappe. When you play football and play with Kylian, he can change the game himself. Just get the ball and go by himself, no one can do that. There’s no one player in football that I can think who can do that.”
Now, Mbappe's Real Madrid teammates Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham may object to the assertion that the French striker is the only who can do this. Bayern Munich stars Michael Olise, Luis Diaz, and Harry Kane will also argue otherwise, was would Barcelona right winger Lamine Yamal. And still one more French teammate, Ousmane Dembele, may feel he can do the same, too.
But there is something different about the way Mbappe plays the game with his acceleration and mentality to go and get goals. He has so many plays for France and even for Real Madrid that defy logic and come out of nowhere, exploding past the defense and depositing the ball in the back of the net from zero to 100. So if players like Bellingham and Vinicius want to challenge Mbappe there, they still have to show it.
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