Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has urged French football star Kylian Mbappe to leave his current employers Paris Saint-Germain to join the Red Devils. 

“Maybe a Manchester United or Real Madrid. If he needs to reach the level of Messi and Ronaldo I think he needs to join Manchester United or Real Madrid,” Rooney said while talking about the footballer’s future.

As it stands, Kylian Mbappe is the second most talked about footballer in the world after Lionel Messi after his incredible hat-trick in the World Cup final against Argentina. With his side 2-0 down until the 77th minute, Mbappe stepped up to score a brace in 97 seconds and then went on to score another equalizer in extra time. 

He became the first footballer since England’s Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. However, unlike Hurst, Mbappe ended up on the losing side as France lost to Argentina on penalties, and their dream of winning back-to-back titles vanished. Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot for scoring eight goals in the tournament. 

Mbappe stormed into the limelight with the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he was named the Young Player of the tournament. He had scored four goals back then, which included a brace against Argentina in the pre-quarterfinals and a goal in the final against Croatia. He now has 12 goals in the tournament, the second-best for a French player behind Just Fontaine. 

A lot of unease remains in the air around his club’s future after a dramatic move to Real Madrid collapsed in the summer. Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid President, was ready to go all guns blazing for the French stalwart but the move fell off towards the end, leaving the owners pissed. 

Manchester United currently is the only other big club in the world that can financially lure the player to Old Trafford. Although Real Madrid seems a more likely destination for the 24-year-old, one cannot completely rule out a club like United, who don’t just have the money, but also the history and attraction quotient to bring any player in the world.