Kylian Mbappe's take on the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo debate has resurfaced online.
The Paris Saint-Germain and France superstar is one of the leading names tipped to continue the legacy of the two legendary players, who have 12 Ballon d'Or wins between them.
It's well documented that the 24-year-old grew up idolising Cristiano Ronaldo, having multiple posters of him on the walls of his room and endlessly watching footage of him when he was a youngster.
He even met the Portuguese icon as a 14-year-old while wearing Real Madrid attire. But fast forward a decade and Mbappe was teammates with Messi at PSG and tussling it out against him in one of the greatest World Cup finals in history between Argentina and France.
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And the former Monaco man has admitted that growing up made him appreciate just how gifted a player Messi is.
"I love Cristiano and I was a big fan of him when I was young but I start to learn Messi too because when you are a big fan of Cristiano when you are young, you can't see how Messi is good because you love Cristiano.
"But I grew up and I like both now."
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Abdou Diallo, an ex teammate of Mbappe's at PSG, has spoke previously about his stance on Messi vs Ronaldo, stating that, "If you mention Lionel Messi against Cristiano, Mbappe will debate with you for at least an hour."
But as much as he pays respect to the achievements of Messi and Ronaldo, who have dominated football for 15 years, Mbappe is all about carving his own path.
In 2021, he revealed that he tells himself that he is better than both players because of his mentality and desire to be the best.
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He told RMC Sport: "Every time I go on a pitch I always tell myself that I'm the best and yet I have played on grounds where there was Messi and Cristiano (Ronaldo).
"They are better players than me, they have does a billion more things than me. But in my head I always tell myself that I'm the best because that way you don't give yourself limits and you try to give your best."
Mbappe, who stayed on at PSG despite a summer saga where it looked like he wanted to move on, has 288 career goals to his name as well as a 2018 World Cup win.
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Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain, Cristiano Ronaldo
Josh Lawless