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Triple scorer Mbappé: "He thought of the best for the team, not to shine"
Photo: Joan Monfort / dpa
You have somehow got used to the pandemic, but there are always days when the differences to the past are shown drastically.
Tuesday evening in Barcelona was one of those: Would there have been such a performance by Kylian Mbappé in front of the usual 99,000 spectators?
Even the greatest sports stars rarely experience evenings like this.
Mbappé's club Paris St. Germain had never won five appearances at Camp Nou, most recently conceding a memorable 6-1.
Now they triumphed 4: 1 (1: 1).
Mbappé was the first international guest since 1997 to succeed in a hat trick in Europe's largest football temple.
His performance was of such perfection that you thought you could see the future.
Whoever saw the three-time goalscorer that evening did not miss the injured PSG project leader Neymar for a second.
And could ask what in the world the Sheikh Club wants with Lionel Messi.
Tired knight with a blunt sword
In the past few weeks, PSG players and those responsible had sent out repeated advances to the six-time world footballer.
For the PSG brand equity, it would certainly be another dimension even at the age of 33.
But on the pitch Messi showed himself in this big Champions League game only as a tired knight with a blunt sword.
Perhaps the Parisians should put all the donations on the boy from Bondy just outside the city, who has not yet extended his contract, which will expire in 2022, and who also emphasized after his gala: "It would be stupid to decide my future because of a game."
Mbappé, 22, is eleven years younger than Messi.
Even so, of course, he did not claim the throne of football out of nowhere.
Already in 2017 when he moved from AS Monaco to Paris, he came for a total transfer fee of 180 million euros.
And in July 2018 he dwarfed Messi in a spectacular World Cup round of 16 and won the World Cup with France.
Barcelona defense chief Piqué curses
Nevertheless, at PSG he was mostly just a kind of vice-king of Neymar.
Critics accused him of having only scored one goal in nine Champions League knockout games for Paris - as well as certain antics in general.
"His game is against PSG," said Jérôme Rothen, an ex-Paris professional, recently.
"He complicates everything, he shouldn't be a regular," said Jean-Michel Larqué.
You should hardly repeat such sentences.
At Camp Nou, Mbappé pushed a team forward - strategically as well as symbolically - who at most felt a hint of fear of another 6-1 defeat directly after the 0-1 deficit due to an unlucky penalty.
Because the excellent midfielders Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes organized the Paris exorcism.
Mbappé ennobled him.
"A long possession, a long possession," pleaded Barça's defense chief Gerard Piqué with all sorts of expletive expressions to relieve the helpless defense.
Barça were physically and tactically inferior, almost like they were in the 8-2 draw against Bayern in the quarter-finals last season.
Even more than in the 3-0 win against Juventus in the final group game of this season.
At that time, Cristiano Ronaldo took the Camp Nou.
So now Mbappé.
"You should enjoy it every day"
Barça, perhaps too high for his current strength, was his ideal victim.
Mbappé had worked out his equalizer goal in small parts.
But in the room, its combination of unspoilt speed and filigree technology is certainly not to be defended.
And rooms opened Barça in the second half instead of accepting the better condition of the Parisians and limiting the damage.
The game also showed the Parisians what happens when they fully engage with Mbappé, similar to the French in their 2018 World Cup victory. Neymar's absence at Camp Nou also had advantages.
With the more playful Brazilian, the PSG is not always so vertical, the many fouls in his dribbling take the games more of their rhythm than was the case in the brisk, unusually fair match at Camp Nou.
There Mbappé grew in his responsibility like never before.
"He thought of the best for the team, not to shine," said the experienced goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
The new coach Mauricio Pochettino also only briefly touched the three goals, then highlighting Mbappé's “commitment to defensive tasks”.
Always keeping an eye on the team, that's what a coach likes to do.
One of the core tasks of the Argentine will be to dovetail Mbappé and Neymar even better and at the same time to balance their respective demands fairly.
The personal relationship between the two stars is considered intact.
"Hat trick from my boy," celebrated the injured Neymar on social networks.
"I believe that Paris St. Germain has a big star of the future who will be on the same level as Leo (Messi) or Cristiano (Ronaldo)," said Antoine Griezmann, his team-mate from the national team: "You should have him every day enjoy."
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