"He sometimes tells me" - When Cristiano Ronaldo named the player his son thinks is better than Al Nassr star

Cristiano Ronaldo once revealed that his son, Mateo, believes Kylian Mbappe is better than the Al-Nassr superstar. The Portuguese is among the finest players of his generation and is largely regarded by many as the GOAT.

Ronaldo has found success all through his career for club and country, and recently won his second UEFA Nations League trophy with his nation. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has also scored 938 goals in his career, but it isn't enough to impress one of his children.

Speaking in January this year to La Sexta, as cited by GOAL, Cristiano Ronaldo said that Mateo is very fond of Mbappe.

“Mateo, he really likes [Kylian] Mbappe. He sometimes tells me: 'Hey dad, Mbappe is better than you,' and I reply by saying: 'No, I am better than him, I have scored more goals,'” said Ronaldo.

Kylian Mbappe has already won the FIFA Club World Cup with France and was a hit with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Frenchman left the Parisians in the summer of 2024 to move to Real Madrid, and enjoyed a tremendous debut campaign.

Mbappe registered 44 goals from 59 games across competitions, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's debut season record of 33 goals. The 26-year-old also surpassed Ivan Zamorano, who had scored 37 goals in the 1992-93 season, to register the best debut season by a Los Blancos player.

How many goals did Cristiano Ronaldo score for Real Madrid in his career?

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 from Manchester United as one of the most lethal attackers in the world. At the Santiago Bernabeu, the Portuguese superstar transformed into one of the most potent goalscorers in the history of the beautiful game.

Ronaldo spent nine seasons with the LaLiga giants and ended up as their record goalscorer. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner registered 451 goals from just 438 games for Los Blancos during his stay at the club.

The Portuguese superstar eventually left Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 to move to Juventus. By then, Ronaldo had won 16 trophies with the Spanish giants, including four of his five Champions League titles.

The 40-year-old had a three-season stay with Juventus, where he continued his goalscoring form, before returning to Old Trafford in 2021. However, his second stint with Manchester United failed to live up to expectations, and the player left to join Al-Nassr in December 2022.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit