There’s a real excitement around Newcastle United heading into the Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
Not only is it the first time St James’ Park will have hosted a Champions League game in decades but it also brings a world superstar to the ground.
The Premier League might be littered with big names up and down the division but seeing a certain Kylian Mbappe in Newcastle feels different.
A genuine superstar of the game and regarded in more than a few circles as the best player on the planet, it will be fascinating to see him.
Indeed, it seems even the families of some Newcastle players are getting excited.
What Kieran Trippier’s son said about meeting Kylian Mbappe
Kieran Trippier has been speaking about the meeting with the forward.
The England right-back admitted his son (via Mark Douglas of iNews) is an Mbappe obsessive and that he’d rather walk out with the PSG star than Trippier himself as a mascot before the game.
“I told him, if you walk out with him, don’t look at me in the tunnel!”
This is what it is all about
Clearly, Newcastle aren’t just there to make up the numbers. Their disciplined, if a little lucky, draw away at AC Milan proved that.
Still, there’s simply nothing like a night like this. A world superstar arriving in Newcastle in a competitive sense, this is what the fanbase craved for so long during the bleak Mike Ashley era.
Mbappe should be treated with respect and excitement. To watch him at St James’ Park will be something special and another clear marker of just how far the club have come since PIF’s takeover.
He will not, however, be treated with too much of it. PSG are yet to click in Ligue 1 and Newcastle are generally so good at home that it feels like there’s something in this.
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