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Barcelona Had Picture Of Kylian Mbappe Up In Their Dressing Room

Barcelona Had Picture Of Kylian Mbappe Up In Their Dressing Room

Ronald Koeman was trying to inspire his players ahead of their meeting with Mbappe in the Champions League but it didn't work.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

A picture of Kylian Mbappe was stuck up in Barcelona's changing room ahead of their game with PSG in the Champions League back in February.

Ahead of that game it was billed as Mbappe vs Lionel Messi and everyone knew that the World Cup winner was the biggest threat to the Catalan giants.

Apparently though Ronald Koeman felt his side needed extra motivation for playing against the 22-year-old, when he arrived at the Nou Camp.

According to reports in France, the Barca boss stuck up a picture of the former Monaco player up in the dressing room ahead of the game.

The point was to rally his players against their 'number one enemy' on the night, and no matter what effect it had, it certainly didn't work.

Whilst the hosts drew first blood on the night, through a Lionel Messi penalty, it was Mbappe who stole the headlines, on a night where many felt he grabbed the torch from the six time Ballon d'Or winner.

Mbappe scored an incredible hat-trick, equalising for the Ligue 1 champions before half time, before putting them ahead and rounding off the scoring in a 4-1 win.

Whilst the Frenchman's picture might have been up in the changing room pre match, the image of Gerard Pique trying to hold onto his shirt is likely to be the enduring picture of the match.

As well as comparisons with Messi, Mbappe is now being compared to Erling Haaland, as the two youngsters look set to be their generation's best players.

Speaking to Sky Sports recently, Thierry Henry praised the pair of young forwards, saying, "They want to kill, they want to be in the box, they're looking at the defenders [and saying], 'you won't be able to live with me'.

"I'm happy to see these guys coming because they're real strikers: they want to go in behind, they want to hurt you.

"There's nothing worse than when a guy looks at you and goes in behind again and again and again.

"Those guys [Mbappe and Haaland] have that mentality and it's nice to see.

"They are two amazing strikers that can do different things. I like a killer, so Mbappe kills you a different way. Mbappe gives you something different."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football, Barcelona, Ligue 1, PSG, Champions League, Kylian Mbappe, La Liga