Kylian Mbappé professes love for Real Madrid and two of its biggest icons

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé was interviewed by children with disabilities on BeIN Sports program “Be United,” in which he was asked about a number of current issues, including his departure from Paris Saint-Germain last summer and the possibility of playing with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid icons, Mbappé‘s idols

When quizzed on which player he would have most liked to play with, the France captain responded, “Without being biased, I’d say Zinedine Zidane.”

Mbappé, who scored as Los Blancos won the 2024 Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, then asked the children which team they supported, with all eight responding in unison, “Paris Saint-Germain.” The Madrid forward batted away a potential moment of awkwardness with ease. “I will always be Parisian, but now I’m a fan.”

The 25-year-old later explained that he would have loved to play with Cristiano Ronaldo, his childhood idol: “I’ve played with great players: Messi, Neymar, Griezmann, Pogba, Benzema… It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo, but it’s going to be very difficult now. But I was lucky enough to play against him, he’s a legend of the sport.”

Real Madrid or PSG the only options for Mbappé

But arguably the most eye-catching of his responses was related to his acrimonious departure from PSG, which saw him profess his love for both his current and former clubs.

“I spent seven years at PSG, it was an honor. I don’t think I’ve said it enough or shown it enough, but I’ve always been aware of where I am and what a great club PSG is. I’ve always said it’s the biggest club in France and one of the best in the world.

“I went to the biggest club in the world. I’ve always said it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I couldn’t go to Real Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG my whole life. I had the dream of playing there, and I’m very happy I did. But, of course, I always watch PSG games, I have friends on the team, and they’re playing well at the moment.”

Original article written by Andrés Onrubia, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.

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