“It’s incredible to achieve such a feat in my first year, like Cristiano, my idol, the best player in the history of Real Madrid. This celebration is for him; I wanted to thank him, because he has always been great with me, he helped me adapt to Madrid, and it’s great to contribute to Real’s victories.”. These were the words of Kylian Mbappé on Saturday evening after scoring his 59th goal of the 2025 calendar year against Sevilla. A performance which allows him to equal the record so far held alone by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Everyone will have their opinion on the question: who is the better of the two? For the moment, at least on a purely individual level, Cristiano Ronaldo seems to have a head start since when he celebrated his 27th birthday, he already had a Ballon d’Or. Just like he already had a Champions League (won with MU in 2008), which Kylian Mbappé has not yet been able to celebrate, even if the Lusitanian had to wait for his fifth season in Madrid to finally lift the cup with the big ears under the merengue tunic. Anyway, earlier in the week, press articles suggested that the Bondynois was already more appreciated than the Portuguese in Madrid. “Everyone goes to the stadium to see him play. I’ve been going there for decades and I’ve never seen so many jerseys of the same player. 80% of people wear it. I have both: his n°9 and his n°10”confided a supporter to the newspaper The Team.
Mbappé is much more appreciated in Spain
It is true that in his early days, Cristiano Ronaldo raised a few more questions than Mbappé, which may seem curious given that he arrived with Ballon d’Or status. And the love story between the Portuguese and the Bernabéu took a long time to write. Like the Bondynois, he was sometimes whistled, notably at the start of the Mourinho era, when the Merengues faced a resplendent Barça. Subsequently, certain behaviors also irritated the supporters a little, who accused him of, sometimes, pulling the covers on himself too much. Like his statements after the 2018 Champions League final, talking about his future while all of Madrid celebrated the title. With his strong character, sometimes impulsive and self-confident, the Portuguese has at times aroused criticism in Madrid because of his attitude, where, for Mbappé, it has always been a question of level on the pitch.
Overall, Cristiano Ronaldo’s eccentricity has sometimes cost him dearly, whether towards his fans or supporters of other La Liga teams. Kylian Mbappé has a much smoother image, and is, for example, very rarely whistled in Spanish stadiums. Quite the opposite of a Cristiano Ronaldo who was vilified when the Merengues were away, and who even fed on opposing hatred. “They whistle at me because I’m handsome, rich and a great player. They envy me »he has already confided. Comments that it is hard to imagine Kylian Mbappé making one day, and he is a player who is generally appreciated by football fans on the other side of the Pyrenees.
But Cristiano Ronaldo remains on top in Madrid
But in Madrid, Cristiano remains untouchable, especially since his departure, as is very often the case. If the legendary status of Real Madrid is indisputable for Cristiano Ronaldo, it must also be added that the Portuguese had to share the spotlight with other world leaders. Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Luka Modríc, Karim Benzema or even players like Pepe, Marcelo or Ángel Di María, to a lesser degree, were also very appreciated by the team. fan base. Kylian Mbappé has arrived in a team where, in addition to having fewer flashy names, he is by far the best player on the pitch, which makes things a lot easier and some go so far as to say that he is the idol of the Bernabeu by default.
Better, Cristiano Ronaldo symbolized Madrid’s “resistance” against the great Barça, not hesitating to publicly tackle the Blaugrana, defending Real Madrid on the field, but also off it, to the delight of his supporters. And this rivalry with Lionel Messi also left its mark. Contexts from which Mbappé has not (yet?) benefited. Behind, he was also the essential element of the Three peat European (2016, 2017, 2018). Mbappé is still on the Portuguese side, but for the moment, and this is completely normal, the majority of Merengue members and fans would side with the Portuguese if they had to choose…
