Kylian Mbappe offers opinion on ‘pressure’ of becoming Cristiano Ronaldo’s successor at Real Madrid
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has said that he doesn't feel the pressure of becoming club legend Cristiano Ronaldo's successor. Ronaldo spent a hugely successful nine-season stint at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 39-year-old is one of the game's bonafide legends, scoring nearly 900 goals for club and country in his illustrious career. More than half of those goals - 450 in 438 games across competitions - came while he was with Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.
Meanwhile, Mbappe is widely regarded to be one of the best young strikers in the game currently and has a prolific scoring record. He has scored a record 256 goals for his former club PSG and nearly 50 for his national team, France.
However, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has had a slow start to his Los Blancos career, having arrived on a free transfer this summer. After making a goalscoring debut in the 2-0 UEFA Super Cup win over reigning UEFA Europa League winners Atalanta in Warsaw, the Frenchman is yet to score in three La Liga games.
Nevertheless, he finally made his mark in the top flight with a brace in Madrid's 2-0 home win over Real Betis on Sunday (September 1). Following the game, the Frenchman remarked that the only pressure he feels is to be himself and not about succeeding Ronaldo (as per Madrid Xtra):
“Cristiano is my idol, but I don’t think about the pressure of being his successor. I want to be Kylian. The only pressure I want is about me and the team.”
Kylian Mbappe is now up to three goals in five games across competitions for Real Madrid, while his idol Cristiano Ronaldo has scored four times in as many games this season for Al-Nassr.
"Everyone knows how much I admire Cristiano Ronaldo" - Real Madrid hitman Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe has elicited comparisons with his idol Cristiano Ronaldo due to their metronomic scoring ability for club and country. While the duo never played together for the same team, the Frenchman has arrived at Ronaldo's former team Real Madrid and is beginning to find his feet.
Just before his Los Blancos move was confirmed, Mbappe had professed his admiration for Ronaldo, calling him a 'legend' and admitting that the duo stay in touch.
"Everyone knows just how much I admire Cristiano Ronaldo as a player." he said (as per Economic Times). "Over time, I have been lucky to brush shoulders with him, to get to know and have a chat with him. We are still in contact. He is always helping me - he keeps up with what is going on in my life, and he gives me tips.
"It's an honour for me, especially when we think about what he has done for the footballing world. Regardless of what has happened before or what happens after, he will be a footballing legend."
While Kylian Mbappe might not emulate Ronaldo's exploits at Los Blancos, he will hope to carve out a niche for himself.