Kylian Mbappe has admitted his disappointment that he never got the chance to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mbappe grew up a Real Madrid fan and his father has previously referred to Ronaldo as his “idol”, with the French striker thought to have had posters of Ronaldo all over his bedroom wall as a child.
The pair have shared the court before, but only as opponents. Ronaldo scored three goals in two games as Madrid beat Mbappe's Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the 2017/18 Champions League, while they have faced Portugal and France three times on the international stage.
“I played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, (Antoine) Griezmann, (Paul) Pogba, (Karim) Benzema… It would be a pleasure to play with Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Mbappe. YOU ARE SPORTS.
“It will be very difficult now, but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”
The chance to link up with Ronaldo may have passed him by, but Mbappe could get one more chance to work closely with another Real Madrid legend as relief state Karim Benzema is exploring a role behind the scenes with the La Liga giants when he retires.
Benzema, who played 342 games alongside Ronaldo for Madrid, is said to be considering a retirement with Al Ittihad next summer and is keen to return to his former employers, with an ambassadorial role already earmarked for him when he finally close the shoes.