Robert Pires: ‘Thierry Henry was better than Kylian Mbappé’

Few players in the world can be considered better than Kylian Mbappé (25). The Frenchman at 19 became only the second teenager to ever score in a World Cup final, matching the feat of Pelé, as he helped his nation defeat Croatia in 2018.

Since that tournament where the young teenager was announced on the global stage, Mbappé’s talents have only grown and developed as the forward has transitioned from a prodigy into a predominant force in the game.

For club and country, Mbappé has become a talismanic figure and a player who will likely go down as one of the greatest to ever play. However, his compatriot, Robert Pires believes that if Thierry Henry were playing today, there would be no question over who the better player was.

Speaking with Rio Ferdinand in a discussion hosted by UEFA, the former 1998 World Cup winner stated, “For me, Thierry was better than Kylian Mbappé. I love Mbappé [but] Thierry was a more complete [player].” However, Pires admitted that these comparisons are often unfair and entirely subjective.

The former Arsenal man went on to suggest that in his mind there were only two players better than his ex-teammate: Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini. A podium that Mbappé could perhaps one day challenge if he were to bring even more success to the national team this summer.

GFFN | Nick Hartland