Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário sat down with L’Equipe and made it clear: Kylian Mbappé isn’t just good. He’s walking through the same door Ronaldo himself kicked down 25 years ago.
“As for Mbappé, his playing style reminds me of myself at my peak,” Ronaldo said. “He is one of the greatest players in football today and a natural heir to the legends of the game.”
That quote landed the way you’d expect. Ronaldo in the late 1990s and early 2000s was a force that didn’t seem real — defenders just sort of watched him go by. He had that combination of raw speed, body control, and finishing that made defenders look like they were playing a different sport. For him to say that about Mbappé carries weight.
Mbappé is 27 now, playing for Real Madrid and captaining France. He’s already scored four goals in this World Cup, bringing his career World Cup total to 16. That’s three behind Lionel Messi’s all-time record. The same Ronaldo once held that record before Miroslav Klose passed him in 2014.
Records are made to be broken
Ronaldo didn’t seem bothered by that history. He actually said he expects his name to keep getting bumped down the list.
“All records are made to be broken. Football is ultimately more than just numbers. You also have to think about the legacy you leave behind,” he said. And he made a point of saying both Messi and Mbappé deserve to be at the top of that all-time scoring list.
Mbappé’s brace against Iraq pushed him past Ronaldo’s World Cup mark for good. That’s not nothing. Ronaldo scored 15 World Cup goals across three tournaments — 1998, 2002, and 2006 — and won two of them. Mbappé has already matched that trophy count with one World Cup win (2018) and a runner-up finish (2022). If France goes all the way again this summer, the conversation about his place in history gets even louder.
The timing of Ronaldo’s interview matters, too. There’s a natural handoff happening in world football. Messi and Ronaldo (Cristiano) are entering the final chapters of their careers. Mbappé is the guy next in line, and Ronaldo Nazário is basically saying: yeah, he’s the one.
Ronaldo also made a point about legacy vs. numbers, which is easy to brush off but worth sitting with. Mbappé is chasing goals, sure, but he’s also building a reputation that could outlast the stats. Ronaldo said he sees Mbappé as a player who thinks about what he leaves behind, not just what he piles up on a spreadsheet.
We’ll see how this World Cup shakes out. Mbappé is three goals from the all-time record and four from tying the single-tournament mark. If France keeps winning, he’s got a real shot at both. And if he does it with the kind of performances Ronaldo is talking about, the comparisons aren’t going anywhere.
Leave a Comment