Has Kylian Mbappe eclipsed Thierry Henry? Arsenal legend’s former team-mate & fellow countryman explains ‘generation’ argument

That has been the case throughout history, with supporters often nailing their colours to masts that were planted during eras in which their fandom was first building or at its peak. Childhood heroes will always tug on the heartstrings a little harder than modern day icons.

Lively debate is, however, part of professional sport. Life would be pretty dull if everybody shared the same opinion and never found anything to argue about. In football circles, you are often either ‘Team X’ or ‘Team Y’ - with there little common ground to be found.

When it comes to French fancies, Raymond Kopa and Michel Platini paved the way for Zinedine Zidane and Henry, with those crowns since being passed to the likes of Paul Pogba and Mbappe.

In the case of Mbappe, he landed a global title while still in his teens and netted a hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. He stands on the brink of becoming France’s all-time leading goalscorer and will continue to compete for the most prestigious of domestic and continental prizes with La Liga giants Real Madrid.

He may never overtake Platini and Zidane when it comes to legend status in France, but is he edging in front of Henry? Aliadiere - speaking in association with SportsbookReview.com, known for listing and reviewing offers such as the BetMGM bonus code - told GOAL when that question was put to him: “You know, it's hard. I think, for me, it's generation stuff. I remember my dad always saying that, for him, it was Platini. Platini was the best player. And I said, ‘Dad, Zidane's better than Platini’. He's like, ‘no, he's not’. And I'll be the same. 

“Thierry Henry is the best I've ever seen. And nobody will ever beat Thierry Henry. The only one for me was R9, Ronaldo. And that's why you could bring me Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, because I grew up watching R9 and Thierry, and I played with Thierry and seen him every day in training. For me, they'll always be the best. It doesn't matter who breaks their record and who scores more goals than them. For me, they'll always be the best. 

“Now I've got my son, who's 14 years old, and for him, it's all about Lamine Yamal and Mbappe. And I'm just like, ‘No, they're not on the level of the players I've looked up to when I was a kid!’ We're all kind of the same, but it's always a good conversation.”

One of Henry’s fellow 1998 World Cup winners, Frank Lebeouf, is another who believes that Mbappe is always destined to operate in the shadow of illustrious countrymen. He has previously told GOAL when asked if Mbappe will ever enjoy GOAT status in his homeland: “Definitely not. He cannot compare. It is difficult to compare careers and times as well. But what Zizou is capable of doing, on top of being a great player, the way he behaved - even if he had the 2006 mistakes - people love him. 

“Kylian Mbappe had some controversies in his private life, which brought some anger from some people in France. He will never catch where Zidane is, and probably nobody is going to catch him. Michel Platini as well at the time and Raymond Kopa before him, those players are icons. It’s only at the end of his career that we will see if Mbappe can be put at the same level.

“He’s a great player. Definitely a great player and a smart guy. I’m very proud of him. But he has to work harder on the field still to make me think ‘wow, what a player’. He is a great finisher. Real Madrid are very lucky to have him this season, to score goals in almost every game. But I still need, from him, a little bit more - when you lose the ball, for example, to chase back a little bit, just a bit and showing that he wants to help his team-mates. In modern times it is all about statistics, how many goals you score, how many passes you made, how many runs you make, and for me Kylian Mbappe is the best example of what modern-day football is right now. I don’t belong to that, so I want to see more of him.”

Mbappe is currently nursing an injury, which has ruled him out of action for Real Madrid and is seeing questions asked of whether he will be able to play any part in an eagerly-anticipated Champions League last-16 clash with Manchester City.

He may be forced to sit out international friendly action at the end of March, but will hope to be fit and firing by the time that another World Cup quest is opened - as he looks to become a history-making two-time winner of that particular prize.