Champions League icon Claude Makelele has named Kylian Mbappe as the best striker in the world, placing him on 'another level' ahead of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane. The Frenchman praised Mbappe's talent and goal-scoring prowess in an exclusive interview with Sports Mole.
In an exclusive interview with Sports Mole, Chelsea and Real Madrid legend Claude Makelele ranked the world's top strikers, selecting Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe over Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane. Makelele described Mbappe as being on 'another level,' highlighting his brilliance as a player, teammate, and goal scorer.
'Mbappe is another level,' Makelele said. 'He's a brilliant player, talent, teammate, scoring goals. A killer in front of goal. He will be amazing this season again. Madrid is happy with him because he scores every game! And I know this boy is very, very humble, a good person. And he's a French guy! We have a lot of talent in France. But Mbappe is another level.'
The trio have combined for 60 goals in the early months of the 2025-26 season, positioning them as frontrunners for the next Ballon d'Or. Mbappe, Haaland, and Kane have delivered standout performances in domestic and continental competitions.
Key statistics from the 2025-26 season include:
- Harry Kane: 23 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich (reached 20 goals in 12 games), 3 assists, 16 progressive carries, 47 progressive passes.
- Erling Haaland: 19 goals, including 14 in 11 Premier League games (second-highest since 1992), 1 assist, 29 progressive carries, 11 progressive passes.
- Kylian Mbappe: 18 goals, including 13 in the first 11 La Liga matchweeks (one of only two players to achieve this, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo), 2 assists, 61 progressive carries, 83 progressive passes.
Mbappe leads in the European Golden Shoe race after winning it for 2024-25, outperforming his expected goals (xG) like his rivals, though Kane's 23 goals came from the lowest xG at 10.9. Makelele spoke on behalf of bet365, the official global partner of the UEFA Champions League.