Kylian Mbappé pays tribute to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: “They changed the game”

In a lengthy France Football interview, Kylian Mbappé placed Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a category of their own.

Kylian Mbappé has never hidden Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence on his career, but the Frenchman also has enormous respect for Lionel Messi, his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate. Speaking to France Football, the Real Madrid forward reflected on his own longevity before paying tribute to the two defining stars of the modern era.

“I can see myself going until I’m 100 if necessary!” he joked.

On Messi, Mbappé added:

“Messi is Messi. I consider myself a different player. But he is a different player among different players.”

“Cristiano too… They are in the same category”

For Mbappé, the Argentine cannot truly be separated from his long-time Portuguese rival.

“Cristiano too… They are in the same category. You can prefer one or the other depending on your footballing taste, but you have to recognise and respect what they have done and continue to do.”

The France captain also highlighted their remarkable longevity at the highest level:

“Six World Cups… They didn’t win all six, yes. But to arrive six times as the leader of your country and carry all its hopes, you don’t see that often.”

Mbappé then summed up their lasting impact:

“They belong to a different era. In their category, there are only two of them. I’m from the generation after them and I took inspiration from them. They changed the codes and the way people think about football. There is a before and an after. That means you have left an indelible mark.”

Mbappé is coming off an exceptional season himself

The Frenchman’s own numbers are hardly ordinary. In 2025-26, Mbappé scored 42 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid. He finished as La Liga’s top scorer with 25 goals and also led the Champions League scoring charts with 15 goals.

Those performances earned him a deserved place among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Mbappé has started the new campaign strongly as well, scoring five goals in five competitive appearances, including four in La Liga and one against Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Despite that output, the French star was booed by sections of the Santiago Bernabéu crowd when he was substituted against Inter in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win. José Mourinho refused to criticise the supporters but revealed that he kissed his striker as he left the pitch as a sign of respect for his work.

Read also : Champions League: UEFA reveal Team of the Week after Matchday 1

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.