Kylian Mbappe discusses Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi rivalry; 'Who do I prefer?'

French football sensation Kylian Mbappe revealed his thoughts about the most hyped debate in the footballing world about which player is the best between Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Ronaldo vs Messi debate has been the most talked about point in football in the last decade as both players share a total of 12 Ballon d”Or trophies amongst them. However, it is pertinent to mention that Messi has not been named in the nominees for Ballon d’Or 2022, while Ronaldo and Mbappe are among the nominees.

Mbappe plays for the Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, which also features the Argentine great Messi and Brazil’s Neymar. At the same time, he has been very open about his admiration for Ronaldo, since his childhood days. As reported by Goal, Mbappe recently tried to answer the question about who is greatest among both players, but couldn’t stick to a name.

Struggling to separate the two, Mbappe said he would wonder every year, who among Messi or Ronaldo will win the Ballon d”or award. Answering the question about who is the greatest, the 23-year-old mentioned that it is like choosing between one of your parents. He further insisted that growing up playing football, he always associated the battle for the coveted Ballon d”Or between Messi and Ronaldo.

'Ballon d'Or is inevitably associated with the battle between Leo and Cristiano': Kylian Mbappe

"Every year I wondered who would win the Ballon d’Or, Messi or Cristiano. Who do I prefer? It's like choosing between your father or your mother, you can't,” Mbappe explained. Shedding light on his Ballon d’Or memories as a child, the Frenchman added, “As for all those of my generation, the Ballon d'Or is inevitably associated with the battle between Leo and Cristiano. Digging really deep into my memory, I also remember a little bit Ronaldinho (a Ballon d'Or winner in 2005).”

Pointing out that Ronaldo and Messi have shared the prize for too long, Mbappe concluded by saying, “But, frankly, everything is crushed by the greedy two! They have shared the prize for so long. Every year, like everyone else, I wondered which one of them would get it. Looking back, that battle was pretty crazy. On ceremony days, it was fun to watch them when they were next to each other. And trying to figure out from their faces which one looked more angry or upset because they knew they didn't win."