"I would say..." - Walker claims Liverpool legend was a tougher opponent than Kylian Mbappe
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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.
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.”
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Walker names Mane as the best
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.
"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."
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Kyle Walker, Kylian Mbappe, Manchester City, Football, Sadio Mane, Liverpool, England, France, Football World Cup
