How do Kylian Mbappe and Anthony Martial compare against each other and other Monaco legends of the past?
Both forwards started their careers with the French champions before moving onto bigger clubs with greater chances of winning silverware
THIERRY HENRY recently praised Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, saying the 21-year-old is better than he was at the same age.
Martial came through the ranks at Monaco, just like Henry, scoring eleven Ligue 1 goals for the club before leaving for United for £36million - rising to a staggering £58m.
And another young superstar who made his name in the principality is making waves in world football right now – Kylian Mbappe. The 18-year-old France international earned his dream move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, after scoring 24 goals last season.
PSG have taken Mbappe on loan ahead of an eventual £160million permanent switch next year, and the youngster is thriving at the Parc des Princes.
But how do Martial and Mbappe stack up against the great strikers of Monaco’s recent past and present?
Our friends at Football Whispers have taken a look at some of the top-class No.9s who have been prolific at the Stade Louis II.
Thierry Henry
Henry became Monaco’s youngest ever scorer in the 1994/95 season – a record since broken by Mbappe – and starred in the Monegasque side’s run to the Champions League semi-final in 1998, knocking Manchester United out at the quarter-final stage.
The Frenchman spent a lot of his playing time out on the wing at Monaco, and indeed during his subsequent spell in Italy with Juventus, whom he joined for £10.5million in 1999.
It wasn’t until he moved to Arsenal that he became more of a central striker.
But Henry still produced an admirable return of 28 goals in 141 games for Monaco, becoming a World Cup winner with France while on the club’s books.
David Trezeguet
The legendary Frenchman, who memorably struck the golden goal in the Euro 2000 final, established himself as a burgeoning talent alongside Henry at the principality club.
It was Trezeguet’s partnership with his compatriot that fired Monaco to the 1996/97 Ligue 1 title.
Trezeguet’s sparkling form at Monaco saw him named the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year in 1998 and earned him a lucrative move to Juventus, where he would help the Bianconeri to two Serie A titles.
His 171 goals for the Italian giants makes him the club’s highest-scoring non-Italian.
George Weah
The tale of George Weah is an uplifting one. The likeable Liberian rose up from impoverished beginnings to become the world’s most feared striker, and it was at Monaco where he first announced himself to European football.
Signed by Arsene Wenger for just £12,000 in 1988, Weah’s reputation rose rapidly as he scored 66 goals in four seasons, earning him a move to Paris Saint-Germain and thus mirroring the path of Mbappe.
Weah continued on an upward trajectory in the capital, scoring goals for fun before joining AC Milan, where he won the FIFA World Player of the Year.
Youri Djorkaeff
Another Monaco star who was snapped up by PSG, Djorkaeff enjoyed five hugely productive years at the Stade Louis II. Under the tutelage of Wenger, Djorkaeff helped Monaco reach a Champions League semi-final and lift a Coupe de France.
And, although Monaco slipped to ninth in the 1993/94 Ligue 1 campaign, Djorkaeff ended the season as the league’s top-scorer.
It was this form that caught the attention of PSG, who signed him a year later.
At PSG, Djorkaeff won a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup but he is still highly-regarded at Monaco, where his goals helped launch his France career, going on to make 82 caps and winning the 1998 World Cup and European Championships in 2000.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Before the Togolese striker became a divisive figure in the Premier League, Adebayor caught the eye during Monaco’s run to the Champions League final in 2004.
Although he was an unused substitute in the final, Adebayor impressed the following season, scoring 14 times in 50 appearances.
However, his final few months at Monaco were overshadowed by a bitter contract dispute, while he also failed to report for club duty after the winter break.
Arsenal eventually signed in January 2006, while he would go on to have spells at Manchester City, Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace.
Radamel Falcao
After fruitless loan spells at Manchester United and Chelsea, Radamel Falcao has caught a second wind at Monaco.
The Colombian striker, whose career was somewhat blighted by a serious knee injury, has been rejuvenated under Leonardo Jardim, and scored 21 goals in 29 Ligue 1 appearances last season as Monaco ended PSG’s four-year dominance in French football.
The 31-year-old has picked up exactly where he left off this season, too, scoring 12 goals in eight games to lead the scoring charts, four ahead of PSG’s Edinson Cavani.
