Bernardo Silva has played with and against Kylian Mbappe and admits "one of the best players in the world" is the kind of talent that you always want on your team.
The Portugal international played with the World Cup winner at Monaco, before both spread their wings and ended up at Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.
Their paths have crossed again in the semi-finals of this season's Champions League, with the Blues boasting a 2-1 lead after the first leg of that contest, but there remains all to play for with so much talent on show.
What has been said?
Mbappe remains one of the biggest draws in the global game, and is generating plenty of transfer talk as a result, with Silva not surprised to see the 22-year-old sparking such interest.
He said in the Manchester Evening News: "It's tough to play against him. I have played with him and against him. It's much better to play with him on your side. He is a great player.
"I wish him all the best, except in this round against us! I'm very happy to see he is having a great career and he is, without a doubt, one of the best players in the world."
The bigger picture
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City were able to keep Mbappe relatively quiet when claiming a morale-boosting victory at Parc des Princes.
They fell behind to a Marquinhos header, but hit back in the second half through Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez to take two away goals and a narrow advantage back to Manchester.
Pep Guardiola's side will feel as though they have taken another positive step towards landing a first Champions League crown, but they cannot afford to get complacent with so much left to play for.
Silva added: "We are going to face the second leg the same way we faced this first leg.
"If we play 90 minutes to defend a result, we are going to be knocked out. We need to try to keep the ball, attack and score goals.
"We are facing a great team and if we give them time and space, they are a very dangerous side. We are going to face it with a lot of confidence but knowing that we are playing against a great team."
City have already savoured Carabao Cup glory this season, while the Premier League title is also within touching distance for Guardiola's side as they chase down a memorable treble.
