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One legend gave respect to another as Kylian Mbappé said that longtime superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is “still a legend” prior to Friday’s France vs. Portugal quarterfinal match at the UEFA Euro Championship.
“It’s truly an honour, everyone knows the respect I have for him,” Mbappé said Thursday, per ESPN. “He is still a legend and we are in contact but I hope tomorrow that we can win.”
Mbappé has long idolized Ronaldo, who he met in 2012 at the Real Madrid training ground. Mbappé posted a picture of their meeting after his transfer from PSG to Real Madrid was complete.
The 39-year-old Ronaldo was once one of the sport’s top two players alongside Lionel Messi. He is the owner of five Ballon d’Or awards and three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year honors. On a team level, he’s earned seven league titles and five UEFA Champions League trophies.
This has been a tough tournament for Ronaldo so far, with 19 shots total and eight on target but no goals to show for any of it. But there’s still time for him to turn things around on Friday.
The 25-year-old Mbappe is a great player in his own right, leading France to two World Cup final appearances (and one win) already. He scored 162 goals in 178 appearances for PSG, which won six Ligue 1 titles and finished runner-up at the 2019-20 Champions League.
Now the two will face each other Friday at 3 p.m. ET in Hamburg, Germany.