Real Madrid Star Kylian Mbappe snubs Cristiano Ronaldo after naming the four players who have inspired him
Growing up, Kylian Mbappe looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo, but when it came to listing the players that inspire him, he ignored him.
Mbappe has always looked up to Ronaldo, dreaming of being a football player since he was a young boy.
The striker’s posters adorn his bedroom walls, and according to his father, Mbappe would lose hours surfing the Portuguese captain’s website.
And now that the Frenchman has guided his country to its first major tournament as captain during France’s opening Euro 2024 match, only weeks after completing a record-breaking transfer to Real Madrid, he looks ready to continue following in Ronaldo’s footsteps.
However, Mbappe ignored Ronaldo and mentioned some of his toughest opponents when asked about the significance of becoming a national leader and which other captains he looked up to.
“Leo Messi, Neymar, Ramos, and Buffon have influenced me,” Mbappe stated in an interview with the French show Telefoot.
The first player that popped into Mbappe’s head was Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s longtime adversary who is frequently recognized as one of the all-time great football players.
After taking over as captain of Argentina in 2011, Messi guided his team to six finals, including the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Neymar Jr., the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil, led his country as captain from 2011 until 2019, when he lost the position due to disciplinary problems at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Since then, a number of elite athletes have captained Brazil, notably defender Danilo of Juventus, Thiago Silva of Chelsea, and Casemiro of Manchester United. Danilo will lead the Brazilian squad in the 2024 Copa America.
