Kylian Mbappe Receives ‘Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo’ Treatment in Barcelona Following PSG’s Electrifying Comeback

It was classic UEFA Champions League action at its peak when PSG met Barcelona on the road in the quarter-final’s second leg. Scoring his third goal of the tie, Raphinha gave Barcelona an early lead in the first half with the aggregate scoreline at 4-2. However, the referee sent off Barca’s Ronald Araujo in the 29th minute and doom dawned on the Spanish giants. PSG eventually crippled the hosts 4-1 and qualified for the semi-final with ease. Kylian Mbappe showed up big time in this stellar clash by scoring a brace. Seeing fans shower love on the Frenchman, a renowned journalist now thinks he has reached the same fanfare as with the likes of  Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Kylian Mbappe did not flinch when he scored a lead-gaining penalty in the 61st minute. Later, in the 89th minute, Mbappe just had to position himself in a sweet spot in the Barca box. The ball came to his feet off a Blaugrana defender and the hosts’ net bulged in the next instant. Overwhelmed by the Frenchman’s heroics, a fan broke past security and invaded the pitch to snap a selfie with him. Soccer journalist Andrew Jerell Jones took to X to give his two cents on the pitch invasion. “You know you are the best player in the world status when fool fans rush the field to try and take a selfie with you. Kylian Mbappe has indeed reached that Messi, Cristiano level of demand now,” said Andrew Jerell Jones.

Notably, fans have time and again invaded the pitch to share a moment with Ronaldo and Messi. Fans running past security and Leo Messi’s bodyguard have become routine in Inter Miami’s MLS games. The same goes for CR7 and Al Nassr games. Besides, similar instances were common when the duo dominated the UCL in their prime. Coming back to PSG and Kylian Mbappe, their recent show of dominance over the Catalan side will see the French side head on to a UCL semi-final after two years of embarrassing early exits.

What next for Kylian Mbappe and PSG?

Kylian Mbappe won the FIFA World Cup when he was only 19. But he has been chasing the elusive UCL title with PSG. The Parisian side’s last two campaigns in Europe were so abysmal that the silverware looked like a distant dream. Mbappe and his side spectacularly failed to go past the last 16 during the previous two seasons. Now they have cruised to the last four in style. Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund also completed a come-from-behind win against Atletico Madrid to book a spot in the last four. So, the French side will take on the German side in two legs on April 29 and May 06.

The two teams met in this year’s CL’s group stage. PSG won the first tie 2-0. Dortmund clinched a 1-1 draw in the second. Mbappe is two games away from having a clear shot at the European title once again. If failed, he will probably chase the same with serial winners Real Madrid next season. And ousting Barcelona is a perfect prelude to what is to come.