Kylian Mbappé’s departure from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid this summer leaves a void to fill in the capital club’s attack. Barring any potential recruitment, Gonçalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembélé, Randal Kolo Muani, Marco Asensio and the young Bradley Barcola will then have the difficult task of compensating for the absence of the Red and Blue’s all-time leading scorer.
Regarding the latter, Daniel Riolo, a journalist for RMC, expressed his doubts about his ability to assume a starting role on the left side of the Parisian attack next season:“I thought Barcola had become an unshakeable player, a player who would put everyone on the bench in the years to come… The best player at the Euro? Are you kidding, he made two substitute appearances.”
The comparison that hurts
“A player who comes on twice in a game is a player who comes off the bench, and I’ve always said that. He’s still learning, he has to finish his training, he has a lot to learn and he’s not yet ready to be a starter, but rather a substitute.”judged the polemicist, who had not hesitated to describe the ex-Gone as a “little lamb” after his performance against Newcastle, last November in the Champions League.
“We are in that framework. I maintain that he is not a star and that he is not at the level of Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, or even Jadon Sancho. I did not say that he was bad, but I simply want people to understand what I am saying. You praise him and already see him as a starter. If he is a good player, that is already a good start,” he added.