There can’t be too many footballers in England with as acute an understanding of what makes Kylian Mbappe tick on a football pitch than Han-Noah Massengo. The Bristol City midfielder watched in awe from the Monaco academy as an 18-year-old Mbappe took Ligue 1 by storm and fully expects his former teammate to make a telling contribution against England.
Much of the pre-match narrative around Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final at Al Bayt Stadium has been around how Gareth Southgate’s side will stop the France forward; does he revert to a back three? Can Kyle Walker do it alone with his pace and reading of the game? How do they keep him on the outside and stop him cutting onto his right foot?
Mbappe has unquestionably been the standout individual in Qatar with five goals and two assists in four appearances, and his brace against Poland in the last round confirmed an extremely impressive French performance and their passage into the next round.
Four years ago, Massengo was making his professional debut for Monaco in a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in November 2018, a year after Mbappe had completed his move to the capital, having previously watched the wonderkid as a wide-eyed teenager in the Monaco academy and as a ballboy on matchdays.
Mbappe has since progressed with PSG and Les Bleus to become a superstar and Massengo believes it’s essentially “impossible” to stop him, but has also warned that it’s easy to focus on one man and forget about the other individual attacking talent in the side.
“I didn't play with him because when I joined Monaco that was when he started to blow up in the first team and I wasn't playing or training with the first team but I played against him, and I don't have the words,” Massengo told Bristol Live.
“It's impossible (to stop him). I think a lot of people wish they could but it's impossible. Maybe Kyle Walker can try but we'll see on Saturday.
“It won't all be down to that battle - you've got other great players. Griezmann's having a great World Cup, Dembele, Giroud, Rabiot. I think Mbappe will be the main player but we've got so many other players even on the bench such as Coman.”
Mbappe is, of course, blessed with blistering pace and acceleration, athleticism, touch, technique and finishing ability but what lies at the heart of his ability is his intelligence off the ball; always picking the right time to make a run, catching defenders unawares and gaining that extra half a yard for his speed to then take him further into space.
There was a clip during the group stage where Mbappe, almost like a wide receiver in NFL, dumbfounded Denmark’s Rasmus Kristensen with a side-step completely out of possession that left the 25-year-old completely out of position, opening up space for a teammate to drive through.
It’s those little movements and feints that Walker and his teammates will have to be especially aware of, as well as stopping him getting on the ball inside the penalty area where he can do the most damage.
“I used to see Mbappe play a lot because I was always a ball boy in the academy so I used to watch him every single game at the side of the pitch but I was 15 so I wasn't training with him,” Massengo added.
“You could see from the start... I remember that season he started one or two games and then he got injured. He took a few weeks to get back and then he started to play and it was just crazy. He scored goals after goals after goals... we were thinking 'When is he going to stop?' But he didn't stop scoring.
“It was his movement. He was playing with Falcao and he was getting it to feet and Mbappe was running in behind. He was so quick. He was 18 at the time and to me, that was old because I was only 15. So now I can realise what he was doing at 18, and that just didn't make any sense.”
Massengo won’t be the lone voice in the City squad cheering for France, as he has countryman Stefan Bajic and, most likely, proud Scot Kal Naismith in his corner, and is fully confident Didier Deschamps’ side can beat England and advance into the last four - even if they aren’t at their very best.
“I don't really care too much about France's performances so far as long as they're winning,” Massengo said. “In the last World Cup I don't think they played that well before the Argentina game and then after that, they were really good.
“I think we're going to win. I don't know what the score is going to be but I just can't wait. I'm not very good at predictions but I just want France to win.”
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