Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, the legendary French coach of Arsenal in London and the current high-ranking official of FIFA, believes that there are "similarities" between the careers of the French international Kylian Mbappé and the Brazilian Pelé, considered one of the greatest footballers in history.
"I have been saying for years that there are similarities between Kylian and Pelé. He is a good role model. Pelé played in four World Cups and won three (1958, 1962, and 1970). Kylian, at 22 years old, has already played one (2018) and won it," said Wenger, who during his 22 years at Arsenal (1996-2018) earned a reputation for being an excellent coach of young players.
The former coach and current Director of Global Development of FIFA indicated on Wednesday in the French newspaper Le Parisien that one of the keys to the early talent of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is that he is "well surrounded".
"The environment of the player weighs heavily on the success of a career. Stability is necessary. We are not aware of how lucky we are in France to have Kylian Mbappé," he said.
Wenger explained that the French team that won the World Cup in Russia in 2018 is "generally young and has room for improvement," so they "cannot hold back in the fight for" a second World Cup title in 2022.
The former "gunner" coach expressed concern about the impact on players' health due to an increase in aerial play, after studies have pointed to a risk of trauma related to heading the ball.
"We must limit the amount of heading, at least in training. And prohibit it among young players. As for adults, I don't know... But we must be very aware of the consequences on the head due to trauma," he reflected. EFE