"He reminds me of my best moments" - Ronaldo lavishes praise on 'unpredictable' Kylian Mbappe for his 2022 FIFA World Cup exploits
Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario was left awestruck by Kylian Mbappe's spectacular performances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mbappe finished as the top scorer of the tournament in Qatar, bagging eight goals and winning the Golden Boot award for his exploits.
Ronaldo has been particularly impressed by Mbappe's performances. France ended up as the runners-up in the tournament after a penalty shootout loss to Argentina in the final. Mbappe bagged a hat-trick in the final as Les Bleus tied the match 3-3 at the end of extra time after initially trailing 2-0.
Speaking about which player from the French side impressed him the most, Ronaldo told Brazilian platform Apostagolos:
"Kylian Mbappe, of course. He played an excellent World Cup from the first game to the final. Even when he didn't score, whether against England in the quarter-finals or Morocco in the semi-finals, he was decisive every time, with clever assists. In the final he was fantastic with four goals (including the penalty shootout).
"Technically, he's fantastic, he's almost unstoppable and he could have been named the best player in the World Cup, as he deserves so much. Many forwards in this World Cup have been quick, but he is by far the fastest."
Mbappe's speech during halftime of the World Cup final 👏 https://t.co/dDKtcBYJ90
He went on to add that Mbappe reminds him of his younger self. The former Real Madrid striker said:
"In fact, when I watch him play, he reminds me of my best moments. He knows exactly how to exploit open spaces, how to be unpredictable on and off the ball, and how best to get out of one-on-one situations. He's impressive."
Brazilian great Ronaldo evaluates France's performances in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Kylian Mbappe's France had several injury issues as players like Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, and more missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo said no other team could have coped with the issues as well as Didier Deschamps' side did. He said:
"From the beginning they were very present and showed that they wanted to be world champions again. In my eyes, they were the big favorites. The team is strong in all positions. They managed to make up for the many player absences due to injuries without problems, which hardly any other team could do."
Christopher Nkunku
Presnel Kimpembé
Lucas Hernandez
Karim Benzema
Mike Maignan
N’Golo Kanté
Paul Pogba
All of them not available, Ballon d’Or winner included…
…but Didier Deschamps’ France reach again the World Cup final after Russia 2018.
#Qatar2022 🏆🇫🇷 https://t.co/7tvvOezYRr
He added:
"In addition, the France team has a strong defense, but also incredible potential in attack. The midfield was also getting stronger and the fact that some players were absent due to health problems did not hinder or stop the rhythm of the French. That says it all about the quality of this team that is promising a great future."