Ekitike explains how playing with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe is helping him succeed at Liverpool

Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike has credited his highly scrutinised, difficult stint at Paris Saint-Germain as a learning curve, noting that sharing a dressing room with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar provided the perfect foundation for his current Premier League success. 

Speaking on his time in the French capital, the 23-year-old insists that despite the immense struggles and lack of consistent playing time alongside the iconic "MNM" trio, observing their daily habits and training therein helped sharpen his skills and mentality.

"I can't lie, it was difficult for me to go on the pitch and be able to do what they were doing on the same level,” he said, per Goal. “I think I've never reached that level yet. It was about learning on the pitch, training, I saw a lot of great things.

“It's not even just skills, I learned how to move without the ball, how I touch the ball, how I score goals, confidence in the game. When I look back, it wasn't a great time for me [at PSG] but I think that's what I needed at that time. 

“I learned so much, I'm so grateful to have been there with such good players. It's a great picture I can put in my house because I played with the best player in the history of football. It was nice."

Ekitike’s time at PSG is widely remembered as a failed stint. Initially arriving on loan from Stade de Reims in the summer of 2022, he struggled to break into the starting XI, managing just three goals and four assists across 32 total appearances. 

While he did walk away with a Ligue 1 title and the 2022 Trophée des Champions, his situation drastically deteriorated following his €28.5 million permanent transfer in the summer of 2023. 

After infuriating the club hierarchy by refusing to be used as a makeweight in a deal for Randal Kolo Muani, Ekitike was completely exiled from the first team, failing to make a single matchday squad after August 2023.

 However, rather than letting the subsequent six-month freeze-out ruin his confidence, Ekitike moved to Germany, where he rebuilt his career with Frankfurt by showing the elite talent which prompted PSG to attempt to sign him.

He joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt for a blockbuster £69 million last summer. Ekitike has been a revelation under the Anfield lights, already netting 11 goals in 26 Premier League appearances during the ongoing 2025/2026 campaign.