'Don't ask him to play like Lionel Messi!' - Kylian Mbappe criticism rubbished by Michel Platini as he labels Real Madrid superstar a 'phenomenon' after prolific debut season in Spain

France legend Platini has heaped praise on Mbappe - who scored 43 goals in all competitions in his first season on Real Madrid's books - while saying he needs to play his own game, rather than "playing like Lionel Messi".

He said, via RMC Sport: "Mbappe is a phenomenon. He's a striker who scores. Don't ask him to play like Messi, [Luka] Modric, Platini, or [Zinedine] Zidane. He's a striker. A centre forward, not a centre forward, I don't understand what the new coaches think of that. He's a striker who scores. That's the most important thing. Then, you have to know one thing: either you build a team for him, or you build a team to play well. That's the difficulty."

Mbappe was La Liga's top scorer with 31 goals this season, and he won the European Golden Shoe as well. The 26-year-old was heavily criticised earlier on this term for his performances and apparent lack of goals. However, after finding his feet, he is back to being a Ballon d'Or contender.

Mbappe will hope to be amongst the goals when France play their Nations League semi-final against Spain on June 5. If they win that, a final against Germany or Portugal awaits three days later.