With many believing Kylian Mbappe will dominate the Ballon d'Or in the next few years, the French superstar has now revealed why he feels he has to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo rather than the Portugal captain's longstanding rival Lionel Messi.
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The 21-year-old recently named Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo as his idols growing up, and once again spoke about the latter in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
While Messi has stayed at FC Barcelona throughout his career, Ronaldo has had success with four different clubs – something Mbappe seemingly also aspires to do.
"It's too late for me to have a career like Messi," he said.
"I'd have to have stayed with Monaco.
"But without taking anything from Messi, I now have to be inspired by Cristiano's career."
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Mbappe then went on to praise Ronaldo, saying he can make the difference for Juventus in their attempt to win the UEFA Champions League.
"Cristiano was one of my idols as a child, now I'm lucky enough to face him as an opponent," he added.
"Juve are a strong team, this is shown by the Champions League finals reached. They lacked a difference maker, but now they have it right with Cristiano Ronaldo, the player who makes you win important things.
"So Juventus remain among the favourites this year too, along with the usual favourites. In addition, with Maurizio Sarri, Juve now offers a good game, thanks to a group of players who are still strong regardless."
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Mbappe has slowly picked up form this season, and is now on 21 goals and 12 assists in just 22 appearances for PSG in this campaign.
Do you think Mbappe can emulate Ronaldo's success? Have your say in the comments section below.
