KIERAN TRIPPIER revealed his Kylian Mbappe “obsessed” son wants to walk out with the PSG superstar instead of his dad when mascot tonight.
But the Toon star will not be seeking out the French forward’s shirt for six-year-old Jacob, insisting: I want three points instead.
The Geordie nation is ready to host Champions League football on Tyneside for the first time in 20 years.
Mbappe, 24, was centre of attention yesterday as the Toon Army lined up to welcome the Parisians at their Quayside hotel.
But all eyes will be on England right-back Trippier tonight as he faces up to surely the greatest challenge in football: Keeping Mbappe quiet.
Yet the veteran, 33, was nonplussed, joking: “I was having a bit of banter with my son on Monday, and he said he wanted to walk out with Mbappe instead of me.
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“I really wasn’t happy with that!
“He’s obsessed with him, always watching his clips on YouTube. I said to him, ‘If you get to walk out with Mbappe, you don’t look at me in the tunnel!’
“Everyone is going to want his shirt, that is normal, but it’s not crossed my mind – I want the three points!”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hailed Mbappe as the “best player in the world” but ruled out any special man-marking to try and nullify.
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Trippier came up against him when at Tottenham against Monaco, as well as when making his England debut versus France in 2017’s 3-2 defeat.
And he added: “That was a few years back and he’s been incredible since.
“But it’s a challenge I’m ready for. I’ve played against many good wingers in my career and this will be no different.
“These are the levels you want to play at, against the best players and best teams.
“But we can’t be too fixed on Mbappe – on our day we can hurt anyone.”
Trippier reached the Champions League final with Tottenham in 2018/19 before reaching the quarters twice with Atletico Madrid.
Outsiders thought he was bonkers swapping the Spaniards for Newcastle in January 2022 when the Magpies were deep in a relegation battle.
And Trippier said: “Nobody would have thought that we would have been back in the Champions League so quickly, but we’ve earned the right to be here.
‘I want the three points!’
“I’ve been lucky enough to play in this competition for three different teams now.
“To reach the final was a great moment for me but to play in the Champions League for this club, who have been out of it for 20, is an extra special feeling.
“It’s important we had the first game away against AC Milan in the San Siro as it was a great experience for those who had never played in the Champions League.
“We’re at the elite level now – just play our way, there is no point in changing.”
Howe told his players they will need to be “perfect” tonight to bag their first three points having drawn 0-0 in Milan.
He said: “Our home form is going to be crucial if we are to qualify.
“This is a pivotal moment for us in the group as we know our success will be based on how we do at home.”
And PSG counterpart Luis Enrique knows from experience that his boys are in for a rough ride tonight.
Enrique scored for Barcelona at Newcastle’s home in 1997 on that famous night when Faustino Asprilla’s hat-trick downed the Spanish giants.
And he said: “Their fans created a great atmosphere that night – it wasn’t easy then and it won’t be easy this time either.
“They are the team from the fourth pot nobody wanted. They almost have a complete team.
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“It’s a hostile atmosphere but a spectacular place to come so it will be interesting to see what our team is made of coming to St James’ Park.
“I’m envious of the players because they will get to experience it first hand.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
