'FULL RESPECT'
KYLIAN MBAPPE has heaped praise on Marcus Rashford for his fight against child poverty.
The Paris Saint-Germain star and his team-mates will go head-to-head with the Manchester United forward in the Champions League group stages tonight.
2
2
Rashford famously kept his cool the last time the two sides met in the competition to score a last-ditch penalty to seal a memorable 3-1 win and a place in the quarter-finals.
Since then, the English hotshot has continued to blossom on the pitch but has also won wide-spread praise for his work away from the field.
He forced a Government U-turn on the provision of free school meals to vulnerable children, with his campaign going on to earn him an MBE.
MAN UTD NEWS LIVE: Click here for the latest United news
Mbappe is no stranger to helping those less fortunate than him either, running his own charity in France to help underprivileged kids.
And he admits he has been blown away by Rashford’s efforts over recent months.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, he said: “To tackle an issue as important as child poverty is one of the most important things that somebody can do.
“So I have full respect that he’s been doing that and trying to make a real change.
“I do think there is a requirement for players to use their position to make a difference in the world.
“We’ve been given so much and it’s important that we give back.”
Most read in Champions League
Meanwhile, looking back to that heartbreaking 3-1 loss in March 2019, the 22-year-old Mbappe is adamant it will have no significance when the action starts later on.
And after coming so close to winning the trophy this summer only to be defeated in the final by Bayern Munich, he insists PSG’s No1 target this campaign is to go one better.
He added: “What happened in previous seasons is not important anymore.
“This club has a clear ambition to win the Champions League.”
Hero Marcus Rashford gets MBE after winning historic free school meals fight