"I don't think so," Thuram said. He added that the best player in the world is French, and that the second-best player is also French. Thuram mentioned Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé as examples of top French players.

However, Thuram also praised Yamal's skills, saying that it's normal for a player of his talent to score goals. Thuram encouraged his teammate Fede Dimarco to keep applying pressure on Yamal, but noted that it's difficult to stop players like Yamal on their own. He joked that it might take a team of eleven players to successfully defend against Yamal.