Ronaldo: Kylian Mbappe has the same “remarkable technique” and “great speed” that I had
Brazilian immortal and two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo has agreed with a common notion among football analysts that Kylian Mbappe’s style of play is very similar to his own during his heyday.
Ronaldo, commonly known as O Fenomeno (“The Phenomenon”), starred for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid across his playing career, generating a reputation as one of the game’s greatest and most complete centre forwards ever.
The two-time Ballon d’Or winner was renowned for his incredible technique, composure in front of goal, and the speed in which he evaded defenders, able to turn on a sixpence in congested areas before showing any opponent a clean pair of heels.
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Claim HereThose attributes have naturally been likened to Mbappe, while the comparisons have been ten a penny since the Frenchman initially burst onto the scene as a precocious goal-getter for Monaco, before accelerating his career at PSG.
Ronaldo himself has now weighed in with his own assessment on the comparisons, believing Mbappe does indeed share similar qualities that he exhibited during height of his career, praising the Parisian’s “remarkable technique” and “great speed”.
“Yes, he has similar attributes to me. He has incredible qualities, with remarkable technique that he executes at great speed,” Ronaldo said of Mbappe.
“He gets past defenders, he goes past goalkeepers… And, despite being very young, he’s already come a long way. I like Mbappe.”
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“It is still too early to say who will win the Champions League”
Despite assembling a world-class squad that includes Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Mbappe and Neymar, among many other star-studded names, Ronaldo insists Champions League success is not a foregone conclusion for PSG, likening his own situation at Real Madrid back in the day to current events at the Parc des Princes.
Ronaldo won two World Cups during his playing days, plenty of domestic league and cup titles, as well as the 1998 UEFA Cup, but the Champions League eluded his grasp, even though he was part of a very expensive, superstar-laden Real Madrid squad for five years.
Between 2002 and 2007 (Ronaldo’s time at Real), Florentino Perez famously put together a galactico-style squad, which included the signings of Ronaldo, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Sergio Ramos to add to Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos as well as homegrown talent in Raul, Iker Casillas and Guti.
Ronaldo knows from experience that by simply signing a collection of world-class stars does not always translate to imminent success, as he warns PSG.
“It is still too early to say who will win the Champions League,” Ronaldo said. “The picture begins to take shape at the quarter-final stage. Paris Saint-Germain are in pole position, but it’s one thing to talk and another to play.
“There are many factors that influence the outcome on the pitch. I played for Real Madrid for almost five seasons, in the team of the Galacticos, and I never won the Champions League.
“Winning is never automatic, even if you have the best players in your team, and that also applies to PSG.”
