Rare footage emerges of Kylian Mbappe putting Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the same boat, video goes viral

Kylian Mbappe is one of the best players in the world. He has been tipped by many to take over the mantle from legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who dominated European football for more than a decade.

The two legends won a combined total of 12 Balon d'Or awards, among several other international and club titles. Messi added the crown jewel of the FIFA World Cup to his collection last year.

Mbappe, who's widely known to have idolised Cristiano Ronaldo in his early years, gave an updated take on the two rivals a few years ago. In a video chat, a rare footage of Mbappe emerged, where he was seen saying (reported via Instagram handle k.arenlai):

"I was a big fan of Cristiano..when I was young. I start to love Messi too because when you are a big fan of Cristiano when you are young, you can't how Messi is good (because you love Cristiano). But I grew up, and I like both now."

The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner continued:

"I like Messi and Cristiano because what Messi (also) did at Barcelona is really, really amazing and Cristiano, too, because he played at Manchester (United), then Real Madrid and now Juve (Juventus). He do (does) an amazing job everywhere he go (goes)."

Mbappe has since then played with Lionel Messi for two seasons, with the latter joining Paris-Saint Germain in 2021.

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Mbappe had previously idolised Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi

Multiple sources have reported accounts of Mbappe choosing Ronaldo over Messi as his idol while growing up. His father had said in 2016 (via the Mirror):

"He (Mbappe) is a Real Madrid fan, and his idol is Cristiano Ronaldo. He used to spend hours watching videos (of Ronaldo) on the internet."

Mbappe's former teammate Abdou Diallo had doubled down on those claims (via the Mirror):

"Cristiano Ronaldo is literally everything to Kylian Mbappe. If you mention Lionel Messi against Cristiano, Mbappe will debate with you for at least an hour. For him, Cristiano is untouchable."

Both Messi and Ronaldo have now exited Europe. Messi is lighting up in the MLS after joining Inter Miami this summer, while Ronaldo is the leading attacker for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.