AS kids, they were friendly rivals growing up in their Parisian suburb.
Kylian Mbappe has since becomes the world’s most expensive teenager with a pricetag of £165 million following his move from Monaco to PSG. New Celtic signing Odsonne Edouard has watched his mate’s progress but while Mbappe heads to PSG with his reputation cemented following a successful debut season with Monaco, Edouard heads to Glasgow looking to forge his own name.
But it is on the park next month where he will look to re-ignite his childhood rivalry with Mbappe when PSG come calling at Celtic Park. Having known one another as boys, the two were also part of the same French under-19 side, not that there will be any old pals act when they cross paths again at Celtic Park.
Brendan Rodgers’ side open their Champions League group campaign with a home game against the French giants next Tuesday evening and Edouard doesn’t plan on watching from the sidelines. With Neymar already in at PSG, the French side have had to wheedle their way around Fifa’s financial fair play regulations by taking Mbappe on a loan deal with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.
“I actually know Kylian very well because we are childhood friends, we used to live very close to each other but we didn’t play for the same clubs,” said Edouard. “So from the start there was a rivalry between the two boys clubs. I played for Bobigny and Kylian played for Bondy, they are both in the northeast of Paris.
“I think it’s a really good thing that he’s signed for PSG, he deserves it. He had a fantastic season last year, it’s a good thing for him, it’s a good thing for PSG. For me the key thing is to concentrate on what it happening next week, making sure I train hard, I work hard and then potentially play.”
And, inevitably, Edouard has similar ambitions to Mbappe. His primal aim, now, is to establish himself at Celtic in order to come to the attention of the French national team.
“Every footballer has that kind of ambition, to become a great player – a really big player in Europe,” he said. “I am no different in that respect. I am ambitious and I want to become a really good player. To be more specific, my key aim at the moment is to be selected for the French national team at some point in the future.
“My objective, really, is to make progress. To improve as a player.”
Rodgers met with the teenage striker last week in Paris, with the Celtic manager leaving an impression on the player. Just as Moussa Dembele has progressed since arriving at the club, Edouard expects that under the tutelage of Rodgers that he too can come to the fore.
In that respect, his first ambition will be to get into the team.
With Dembele currently nursing a hamstring injury, Leigh Griffiths has been in possession of the starting shirt. But Edouard will provide not just cover for the position should the Scotland internationalist find himself sidelined but will also look to fight for a place in the starting XI.
With Olivier Ntcham and Dembele already settled at Celtic, Edouard will add to the French contingent.
The striker did not feel the need to sound out either player about the move but rather felt that the alacrity of Celtic’s pursuit of him meant that he was being paraded yesterday at Celtic Park before he having time to chew over the move with his fellow countrymen.
Celtic have an option to buy Edouard on a permanent deal for €10m next season but the player himself isn’t looking further than this season.
“I have just arrived!” Edouard said, laughing.
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