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Topics: Kyle Walker, Kylian Mbappe, Manchester City, Football, Sadio Mane, Liverpool, England, France, Football World Cup
Alexander Duke
Topics: Kyle Walker, Kylian Mbappe, Manchester City, Football, Sadio Mane, Liverpool, England, France, Football World Cup
England defender Kyle Walker has named his toughest opponent that he's faced as a right-back.
Walker has faced many great wingers during his illustrious career at both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
The 32-year-old has regularly faced some of the best wingers in the world in the Premier League and Champions League, whilst he has also been regularly tested on the international stage.
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He will have one of the toughest and highly anticipated battles of his career when he goes toe-to-toe with France's Kylian Mbappe on Saturday in their World Cup quarter-final.
Walker has faced Mbappe before when Manchester City got the better of PSG over two legs in the 2021 Champions League. However, Walker highlighted that saying he faced Mbappe one-on-one is slightly inaccurate.
“For me, technically, I didn’t play against Mbappe one v one, it was more Neymar,” said Walker at a press conference.
“I think Neymar’s a fantastic player.”
When asked who his toughest opponent ever was, Walker - perhaps surprisingly - did not say the French forward, instead opting for former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane.
Walker explained why Mane's energetic style of play is so difficult to deal with as a defender.
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"I would probably say Sadio Mane just because he never gives you a moment’s rest on the ball," he said.
"I'm not saying the other guys (Neymar and Mbappe) I mentioned don't but they probably don't defend as much or save their energy for when they're attacking.
"For me, it's probably Mane."