Kylian Mbappe has risked the wrath of Real Madrid fans once again by deciding against their greatest-ever player.
The France captain suffered a season of boos during a trophyless Madrid season, and now might face more upon his return.
Speaking ahead of France’s second World Cup match against Iraq, he was asked a different version of the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate.
Mbappe was questioned to rank the pair against himself and Erling Haaland, but had no doubts.
Mbappe on Messi vs Ronaldo
“The best of the four? Messi. That’s clear,” he said.
“He’s the best player, along with Cristiano. He proved it for 15 years; he has incredible quality.
“I’m trying to help my team win another World Cup. The rest is just debate for the journalists.
“Right now, I’m not thinking about Haaland; maybe they’re thinking about us, but I’m thinking about Iraq.
“Messi has shown what we’ve seen; that’s a debate for people, it’s good, but it’s not something on my mind.
“What I want is to bring the trophy home. I won’t be here when I turn 40; they’ll have kicked me out by then.
“I don’t make future plans; I only think about the present moment, about enjoying the World Cup.”
Mbappe’s love for Ronaldo
Mbappe’s Ronaldo snub may come as a surprise given he’s said the ex-Madrid striker was his hero growing up, evidenced by a bedroom full of posters.
However, Mbappe may also point to this as an example of why he’s doing less press conferences, saying the context was around the specific question of who’s better right now.
Messi certainly can win that debate, having scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s opener, while Ronaldo was poor in Portugal’s.
Mbappe has always shown his respect to Ronaldo too, inviting the man who introduced him to Ronaldo in 2009 to a clash between their countries in 2024.
Jean-Charles De Bono said at the time: “It’s an incredible move.
“I thought it was a hoax at first. It’s completely crazy that he could remember that, and to have done research to find me.
“Humanly, I find it extraordinary. I didn’t remember this story at all. It was when I was working for OMTV with Pape Diouf.
“It really shows that beyond his immense football talent, he also has a big heart.”
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