Mbappe v Ronaldo: Real Madrid galacticos past & future meet

Growing up, Kylian Mbappe had pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo connected his wall. On Friday, Mbappe will beryllium up against Ronaldo successful nan flesh.

France and Portugal face-off successful nan quarter-finals of Euro 2024. While aggregate world-class players will beryllium successful action for some sides, it is difficult to flight this being a gladiatorial duel betwixt Ronaldo and Mbappe.

This is not nan first clip nan 2 icons person shared a pitch. They met successful nan 2017-18 Champions League past 16, erstwhile Real Madrid comfortably hit Mbappe’s PSG 5-2 connected aggregate - connected Ronaldo's measurement to a 4th and last Champions League trophy successful Spain.

But they person ne'er antecedently met astatine a awesome world tournament, pinch Mbappe yet to break into nan elder France squad erstwhile they were beaten by Ronaldo’s Portugal successful nan Euro 2016 final.

And this crippled successful Hamburg has a wholly different discourse to nan Champions League gathering six years ago. Back then, Mbappe was a 19-year-old connected indebtedness from Monaco – afloat of imaginable and nan taxable of hype, but acold from nan vanished product.

Now he is 25, wide regarded arsenic nan world’s champion subordinate and nan man connected whose slim shoulders France’s hopes of a first European title since 2000 remainder - astatine times successful this tourney rather uneasily.

Mbappe will this summertime move to Real Madrid, wherever he is expected to beryllium nan main man. The focal constituent and expansive attraction. That was nan domiciled served by Ronaldo successful his prime.

Six years on, Ronaldo – distant from playing his nine shot successful Saudi Arabia – is still a focal constituent who grabs attention.

The 39-year-old’s domiciled successful nan Portugal squad is nan taxable of awesome chat aft a last-16 show against Slovenia summarised by bad boy free-kicks, a saved punishment and floods of tears.

Yet Ronaldo tin still present erstwhile it counts, tucking distant his spot-kick successful nan shootout - though it was goalkeeper Diogo Costa who took nan spotlight pinch 3 successive saves.

So that’s nan crippled to nan showdown nether nan Friday nighttime lights. A erstwhile Real Madrid fable against personification who hopes to execute that status.

If this was a Hollywood script, nan apt communicative would person this arsenic nan infinitesimal wherever nan baton is passed, France hit Portugal and Mbappe afloat assumes Ronaldo’s erstwhile mantle.

But shot does not activity to schedule, arsenic Ronaldo knows. When he was 25, Portugal were dumped retired successful nan past 16 astatine nan 2010 World Cup by eventual winners Spain - and he would person to hold different six years to get his hands connected an world trophy.

By 2010, Ronaldo had won 3 Premier League trophies, a Champions League and his first of 5 Ballons D’Or. Up against Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona side, his Real Madrid golden unreserved had yet to begin.

Mbappe successful comparison has 7 Ligue 1 titles, albeit six of them successful a PSG broadside pinch vastly greater resources than their competitors successful France, and nary Champions League trophy yet.

He does, however, person thing it looks progressively for illustration Ronaldo shall ne'er person – a World Cup winner’s medal, collected successful 2018 aged conscionable 19.

So mightiness Mbappe surpass Ronaldo astatine Madrid if he follows a akin path? It seems likely. Barcelona are a reduced unit compared to nan 1 Ronaldo encountered successful his early days. There is nary Lionel Messi nor Guardiola.

Real Madrid are reigning champions some domestically and continentally, and will only beryllium strengthened by Mbappe’s arrival.

Ronaldo scored 33 goals successful 35 games during his first play astatine Madrid - a tally Mbappe surpassed successful 5 of his 7 campaigns astatine PSG, and which seems eminently reachable successful 2024-25.

Mbappe has scored 287 goals successful his nine profession to this point, while Ronaldo netted conscionable 118 earlier joining Madrid. While Mbappe has sometimes played centrally for PSG, some men chiefly occupied wide areas successful their pre-Bernabeu days.

Off nan pitch, Mbappe has immoderate catching up to do. Ronaldo remains an icon successful Madrid, has a edifice base nan CR7 branding successful nan city, attracts much than half a cardinal followers crossed his societal media accounts and moreover has a galaxy named aft him.

But Mbappe, having been nan prima attraction and immense trading constituent of PSG during his clip there, will beryllium placed connected a akin pedestal erstwhile he arrives successful Madrid.

Before each those bells, whistles and societal media debates, nan mini matter of a Euro 2024 quarter-final.

Neither man has group nan tourney alight truthful far. Mbappe looks hampered by a scope of issues – including a surgery nose from nan opening crippled against Austria and having to play successful nan discomfort and distraction of a protective mask.

France’s style of play, arsenic evidenced by their lacklustre last-16 triumph complete Belgium, is characterised by stodginess and a request for everything promising successful onslaught to spell done Mbappe. When he is crowded retired aliases retired of form, nan strategy does not activity – starring to nan pre-tournament favourites failing to people from unfastened play successful 4 matches successful Germany.

Questions of Ronaldo, meanwhile, attraction astir whether he should moreover commencement aft 2 below-par, goalless showings against comparative minnows Georgia and Slovenia, wherever astatine times nan agleam attacking talent Portugal person seemed actively hampered by nan beingness of a man much than a decade older than his team-mates.

Will specified a expansive juncture arsenic this quarter-final bring nan champion retired of 1 aliases some of these men? We hold pinch baited breath.

If it is Mbappe who comes retired connected top, nan travel from doe-eyed kid admiring posters of Ronaldo to being nan sport's undisputed poster boy will surely beryllium complete.