Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe will ultimately be measured and remembered by the success the club have with him on the pitch, and from that stand point, the French international and 2018 World Cup winner still has his work cut out for him. But for the moments of individual brilliance, Mbappe has a quality that can make him a special Galactico in the club's history, and his work for the national team again at the 2026 World Cup has been a reminder of the talent he possesses.
Mbappe has drawn flattering comparisons throughout his career, and recently, former England international and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney said that the closest possible player to the legendary Ronaldo Nazario, aka R9, is Mbappe.
Ronaldo, of course, spent a brief period of time as a Galactico in the early 2000s, winning two La Liga titles. And while he never won the Champions League in Madrid and saw his career there blighted by injuries, he is still remembered fondly at the Santiago Bernabeu for his quality in spite of the overall disappointment of his era.
Ronaldo passed the torch to Kylian Mbappe
Speaking to L'Equipe's Hugo Guillemet, the former Brazilian striker admitted that out of all the players active today, Kylian Mbappe is the one who reminds him of himself, Kylian Mbappé reminds me of myself in my prime."
That is the most flattering praise any footballer could receive, because Ronaldo was literally nicknamed "The Phenomenon" and has never came out and said something like this about a player, comparing them to him. It is a moment of passing the torch to Mbappe that nobody would have expected from Ronaldo, who is usually careful not to make such claims.
But Mbappe has that speed, fluidity, and explosiveness that is almost innate, and while most commentators who have watched both would say that Ronaldo had more skill and technical quality in the finish with even rarer instincts, there is something raw about the way Mbappe plays the game that almost harnesses that R9 talent.
Plus, Mbappe has now broken Ronaldo's scoring pace at the World Cup, and with another World Cup triumph with him at the center of it, he will surpass Ronaldo's international legacy unequivocally. But to even be mentioned in the same breath as Ronaldo by a legend like Wayne Rooney and then by the man himself is absolutely insane, and it is another example of the player Real Madrid are praying Mbappe can become next season for it all to click under Jose Mourinho.
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