Kylian Mbappe Reveals How His Relationship With Cristiano Ronaldo Changed

The France international has large boots to fill at the Bernabéu.

Kylian Mbappé (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo have a special relationship. | David Aliaga/NurPhoto/Getty Images, Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé pulled back the curtain on his relationship with childhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo, who ”helped” him during his debut campaign in a white shirt.

The Frenchman was never shy about his admiration for Los Blancos’ all-time leading goalscorer. When he joined the team ahead of the 2024–25 season, Mbappé confirmed the news with old photos of himself with Ronaldo, taken during the days when he was nothing but a young fan.

Now, the 27-year-old is slowly breaking his hero’s records at Real Madrid, and the two have developed a close bond despite playing on two different continents.

“He is a friend now. It’s so great when people you idolize when you’re young become your friends,” Mbappé said in an interview with Vanity Fair.

“We used to talk a lot, and he helped me in my first year at Madrid, because he knows it very well. We have a wonderful relationship and I’m very happy with it.”

---

Mbappé Chasing Ronaldo’s Greatness at Real Madrid

Déjà vu. pic.twitter.com/OP01EdBtQ0

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 20, 2025

Mbappé has only been playing at the Bernabéu for two seasons now, but he is already rewriting the history books. He broke just about every goalscoring record imaginable in his debut campaign, which ended with a historic 43 goals.

The France international then continued the trend into his sophomore season, scoring 29 goals even before the calendar flipped to 2025. Mbappé’s efforts were enough to equal Ronaldo’s club record for the most goals scored in a calendar year (59).

The forward also came close to snapping Ronaldo’s record for the most goals scored in a single Champions League campaign in 2025–26, but he only managed to find the back of the net 15 times, two shy of Ronaldo’s record 17.

All the while, Mbappé has arugably not reached his peak form in a white shirt given the injuries he dealt with, as well as the lack of team cohesion since he made the move to the Spanish capital. Should a new manager come in next season and finally get the Frenchman to his best level alongside Vinicius Junior, then he could be headed toward even more individual milestones.

---

Could Mbappé and Ronaldo Face Off at the 2026 World Cup?

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Kylian Mbappé could meet in the World Cup final. | Alex Pantling/UEFA/Getty Images

One accolade Mbappé has that Ronaldo does not is a World Cup trophy. The former PSG star won soccer’s grandest prize in 2018 with France, a feat he achieved at just 19 years old.

They both will be competing in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer, as 47 teams battle to dethrone Argentina in the biggest World Cup of all time. Ronaldo will be especially eager to find success with Portugal since it is likely his last chance at claiming the ever-elusive title.

France, though, come into the showpiece event as one of the favorites to win it all, and Mbappé will be desperate to silence the noise surrounding him with another World Cup trophy—and he might have to face off with Ronaldo and Co. to do so.

Should both teams win their respective groups, as they are expected to, then they will only meet in a potential World Cup final, which would pit one of the greatest players of all time against one of the greatest players of the current generation.

---