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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Kylian Mbappe has spoken about how the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo consumed an entire generation of football fans, including himself.
The French striker addressed the rivalry between the two superstars during a recent conversation with the Wall Street Journal (reported via PSGtalk):
“They changed the way people approach the game,” Mbappé told the newspaper. “I think that’s why their rivalry obsessed so many people. They don’t see soccer the same way. They don’t see life the same way.”
He added:
“And they went at it tooth and nail for more than a decade—for me, that was my entire childhood.”
Messi and Ronaldo have won a record 12 Ballons d'Or between them. Mbappe has been tipped as the successor to the legendary duo in football thanks to his incredible exploits over the course of such a young career.
In another recent interview with the New York Times (reported via The Mirror), Mbappe talked about his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or:
“I think I’m about to win it [the Ballon d’Or]. I always say I dream about everything. I have no limits. So of course, like you say, it’s a new generation. And Ronaldo, Messi — you’re gonna stop. We have to find someone else, someone new.”
Kylian Mbappe's answer when asked to choose between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
When asked to choose between the two modern football legends, Mbappe said last month (reported via GOAL):
"Every year I wondered who would win the Ballon d’Or, Messi or Cristiano. Who do I prefer? It's like choosing between your father or your mother, you can't."
The PSG forward continued:
"As for all those of my generation, the Ballon d'Or is inevitably associated with the battle between Leo and Cristiano. Digging really deep into my memory, I also remember a little bit Ronaldinho (a Ballon d'Or winner in 2005)."
He went on to say:
"But, frankly, everything is crushed by the greedy two! They have shared the prize for so long. Every year, like everyone else, I wondered which one of them would get it. Looking back, that battle was pretty crazy."
Mbappe concluded:
"On ceremony days, it was fun to watch them when they were next to each other. And trying to figure out from their faces which one looked more angry or upset because they knew they didn't win."
Mbappe is currently playing alongside Messi at PSG while Ronaldo is in the final year of his contract with Manchester United.
