Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier jokes his mascot son would rather walk out with PSG idol Kylian Mbappe than him… but he’s been told don’t look his dad in the eye if he does!

• Kieran Trippier has revealed that his son is a Kylian Mbappe superfan 
• Trippier jokes his lad would rather walk out with his idol than his dad
• Click HERE to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’

Kieran Trippier was not particularly entertaining of the questions – and lots of them – about Kylian Mbappe, the player his Newcastle boss Eddie Howe had moments earlier labelled ‘the best in the world’.

Trippier is a star in his own right and, with some justification, he was not about to succumb to the ‘starstruck’ narrative being spun. He dismissed one enquiry about swapping shirts as if booting his opponent into touch.

But when Mail Sport turned the subject to his six-year-old son, Jacob, who will be one of the mascots back here at St James’ Park this evening, he was prepared to lower his guard.

‘I was having a bit of banter with him last night, and he said he wanted to walk out with Mbappe instead of me – I wasn’t really happy with that!’ revealed the England defender. ‘He’s obsessed with him, always watching his clips on YouTube. I said, “If you get to walk out with Mbappe, you don’t look at me in the tunnel!”.’

Newcastle play PSG on Tuesday at 8pm in their second Champions League group game

Kieran Trippier will go head to head with French superstar Kylian Mbappe at St James’ Park

If Trippier’s boy does walk out with Mbappe, he will be holding a gloved hand. The France superstar was only a few minutes into training at St James’ last night when he called for a staff member to bring some gloves. It was, for the record, 13C on Tyneside, the temperature at which most Geordies remove layers, not add them. When Mail Sport posted video of the moment he had asked for his mittens, one user replied: ‘Trippier 1 Mbappe 0’.

Their duel is a fascinating sub-plot to the showpiece fixtures of this week’s Champions League group matches. Right-back versus left-winger. Newcastle’s best versus Paris Saint-Germain’s best. It is where the game could be won and lost.

During the earlier deluge of questions – watched in the media room by former Newcastle and PSG stars David Ginola and Laurent Robert, another pair of useful left-wingers – Trippier handled the interrogation as skilfully as he will hope to handle Mbappe.

‘For me personally, it’s a challenge that I’m ready for,’ declared the 33-year-old, nine years Mbappe’s senior. ‘I’ve played against many good wingers in my career. This game is no different. The Champions League is where I want to play, and you play against the best wingers in the world.’

Trippier’s son is an Mbappe superfan and is hoping to walk out with his idol tomorrow night

What about him being the world’s very best?

‘Yeah, I think he is certainly one of the best players in the world,’ replied Trippier, not wishing to grant his rival such an exulted status on his own.

‘Over the past few years, he has been incredible. But as we do every game, if it is Burnley, Paris or West Ham on Sunday, we always prepare to win the game and how we can hurt the position. This is no different.’

There will not be a special plan reserved for Mbappe, either. At least that was the official line last night.

‘I don’t believe in playing man-to-man marking, that won’t happen,’ said Howe. ‘It will be around our units nullifying space and trying to keep, probably, the best player in the world quiet.’

To win, though, Howe has warned his players of the level they must hit. ‘We need to be perfect,’ he announced.

Trippier and Co. will be hoping to record their first win European win after drawing 0-0 with AC Milan last time out

They were not perfect in Milan a fortnight ago and escaped with a point despite conceding 26 shots. But Newcastle have won three on the spin in the Premier League since and, with St James’ sure to be bouncing for the first Champions League game here in 20 years, PSG boss Luis Enrique sounded a fearful note.

‘They are the team from pot four that no one wanted,’ said the Spaniard. ‘We know they play at a very high level. They are good in possession, and then off the ball, they play with a very high press. They’re almost a complete football team, really.’

Enrique played and scored for Barcelona in the first ever Champions League match at St James’ in 1997, when Tino Asprilla scored a famous hat-trick in a 3-2 victory for the hosts.

‘It wasn’t easy back then – and I don’t suppose it will be easy tomorrow,’ said Enrique. ‘It is a hostile atmosphere, but hostile from a sporting point of view.

‘It is a spectacular place to play, and it is going to be interesting to see how my players cope with playing at St James’ Park. I am envious of them, because they get to experience it first hand out on the pitch.’

There had been some doubt over Mbappe’s fitness last week but Enrique, when asked if he was ‘100 per cent’, chose to render the UEFA translators redundant. ‘Si. Oui. Yes,’ he replied.

Fit he may be, but ready for Trippier and a frosty Geordie welcome? He will need more than gloves for that.

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