Mbappe praises Ronaldo’s Real Madrid legacy; also says, 'Messi deserved 2022 World Cup'

In an interview with Argentine legend Jorge Valdano on Movistar Plus, Mbappe said: “Cristiano has always been a role model and an example for me. I’m lucky to be able to talk to him and get advice from him. He has helped me a lot. At Real Madrid, Cristiano is No. 1, the leading player. People, even now, dream about him, but I want to make my own way. I hope that people dream about me in the same way, that it will be a historic moment for me and for Real Madrid.”

Mbappe, who previously played alongside Messi at Paris Saint Germain before moving to Real Madrid last year, expressed his gratitude to the Argentine ace too. “It was a stroke of luck for me to play with Leo Messi. I never thought I would play with him in my career, because my dream was Madrid. I never thought I would go to Barcelona in my life. I thought he would stay in Barcelona forever. I knew I had the chance to play against him, but playing with him is something very special and I’ve learned so much from him. All I can say is thank you for everything. Two incredible years, and the luck of having such a special player close to you, it’s a golden opportunity for any player,” said Mbappe going on to add that Messi’s Albiceleste are deserving world champions. 

‘World Cup final was crazy’

“In a final, you don’t think about scoring goals, you think about winning. That [final] was a crazy match. Argentina deserved to win because they played better throughout,” said Mbappe, who helped his team level things after Argentina went 2-0 up in the first half. The Argentines then scored again in extra time, only for Mbappe to make it 3-3 in the 118th minute: “There were moments when we played well, but if you look at the whole game, their victory was deserved. It hurts, but we can’t forget it, and we don’t want to experience that pain again in 2026.”