‘The best player in the world is French’ – Marcus Thuram ranks two Frenchmen above Lamine Yamal | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal (17) netted once again for Barcelona in an eye-catching display against Inter Milan. Marcus Thuram (27) got the opener in that game with a sublime flick inside the first minute, with the game going on to finish 3-3. It means that Internazionale head back to the San Siro for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final with the scores level.

A European Championship winner with Spain in the summer, Yamal has gone from strength to strength this season and, despite being just 17, has entered the discussion for best player in the world. Thuram was asked by Canal Plus post-match about Yamal and whether he was currently the best player in the world.

“I don’t think so. The best player in the world is French, the second-best player in the world is also French. Maybe he is the third best,” began the Inter Milan forward, who quickly gave the names of the two players he thought superior to the Barcelona forward – Kylian Mbappé (26) and Ousmane Dembélé (27).

The former has been in the conversation for some time, although at 26, he is yet to win the Ballon d’Or. The latter is being included in the conversation thanks to his goal-scoring exploits this season, which have seen Paris Saint-Germain wrap up the Ligue 1 title in hasty fashion, whilst also taking the club to the brink of the Champions League final.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle