Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has named both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in his Mount Rushmore of football players, past or present. The 27-year-old is widely considered as one of the world’s best players, and is in the running to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
In a chat with Complex, Mbappe was asked to list out his Mount Rushmore of footballers, the four footballers he considers to have been the best that he has ever seen. Before he named them, he stressed that he was not doing it in any order, and only wished to list them as they came to mind.
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His first picks were Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and he completed the list with Ronaldo Nazario and French legend Zinedine Zidane. With this list, the Real Madrid man has made it clear that he thinks very highly of some of the players he watched growing up.
Mbappe has never hidden his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo, posing for a photo alongside him when he was very young. He has named the Portuguese icon as his footballing idol on more than one occasion, and that explains his decision to name the 41-year-old.
Kylian Mbappe played with Lionel Messi for two years at Paris Saint-Germain, and those years left an indelible mark on the Frenchman. They opened his eyes to the quality of the Argentine great, leading Mbappe to name him as one of his best-ever footballers.
Mbappe grew up at a time when Ronaldo Nazario was undoubtedly the world’s best striker, hence his inclusion in the list. With Zinedine Zidane, as well, Mbappe watched the latter years of his career with Real Madrid and France, leading him to choose the former midfielder.
Lionel Messi overtakes Cristiano Ronaldo with goal for Inter Miami
Inter Miami and Argentina star Lionel Messi has beaten Cristiano Ronaldo to a milestone after his goal for his club. The 39-year-old scored from a free-kick in the Herons’ 2-2 draw against San Diego FC in the MLS, netting his 930th career goal.
Messi has become the fastest and youngest player to score 930 career goals, doing so in 1,176 games and at 39 years and 88 days old. He reached the tally quicker than Ronaldo, who needed 1,272 games to score 930 goals, doing so at 40 years and 58 days old.
The Argentina international scored his 75th direct free-kick goal, leaving him just three behind the all-time record for most free-kick goals in history. He could well set his sights on the 1,000-goal mark, too, as he remains contracted to Inter Miami until 2028.
Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen