Kylian Mbappé has confessed he can only dream of leaving the same legacy at Real Madrid as the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo.
Between 2009 and 2018, Ronaldo established himself as one of the greatest footballers in history, leaving the club with a ludicrous return of 450 goals and 131 assists in just 438 appearances for Los Blancos.
While Mbappé still has a long way to go to match those numbers, the France international is making a good pace. Indeed, his tally of 58 goals in 69 games for Madrid is exactly the same as Ronaldo managed across the same period at the start of his tenure.
“But he did it for nine years, I’ve only been here one-and-a-half!” Mbappé laughed to Movistar+.
“Cristiano has always been a role model, an example for me. I’m lucky to talk to him, to have him give me advice. He’s helped me.
“At Real Madrid, he’s number one, the key player. People, even now, dream of him. But I want to follow my own path. I hope people dream of me, too. Let it be a historic moment for me and for Real Madrid.”
Mbappé: No Regrets Over Timing of Real Madrid Move
When Mbappé finally joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, it was the realisation of a lifelong dream which could have been achieved far earlier had he gone down a different path.
A trial with Madrid at the age of 13 saw Mbappé decline the chance to join, while he snubbed an approach from Los Blancos when he signed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. The infamous contract saga in 2022 threatened to bring an end to his chances of moving to the Santiago Bernabéu, but Mbappé eventually made up for lost time in 2024.
Asked why he first rejected Madrid at 13, Mbappé explained: “A little bit of everything. But not my family, because I’ve always made my own decisions. And they’ve understood them; it’s one of the positive things about having a family of athletes, who know that one’s career is a personal thing. Of course, you want to listen to the people you love, but you decide.
“When I left Monaco, at 18, I was very clear that I wanted to play... and Real Madrid had [Karim] Benzema, Cristiano and [Gareth] Bale. And I didn’t want to be on the bench. All the clubs in Europe told me I was going to play for their teams, but I knew that Real Madrid, with all the respect they had for me, wouldn’t be able to play me in every game.
“Of course, I had the dream of playing for Real Madrid, but being a starter is a privilege. The opportunity to be at home, in Paris, came up, and it was a great opportunity for me. Seven incredible years. The pride of playing in the city where you were born is something very special.
“But of course, I still held on to the dream of playing for Real Madrid, because I’ve had it since I was a child. And I fulfilled it last year. I am very happy.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Number One’—Kylian Mbappe Makes Emotional Cristiano Ronaldo Admission.
