The image is legendary now. It’s grainy, a bit blurry, and looks like it was taken on a budget smartphone from 2012. You see a skinny 13-year-old kid in a green tracksuit sitting on a bed. Behind him, the walls are literally disappearing. Not because of magic, but because they are plastered—from floor to ceiling—with posters of one man. Cristiano Ronaldo. That kid was Kylian Mbappe. Fast forward to today, and that same kid is wearing the same iconic white shirt of Real Madrid that his idol once wore. It’s the kind of full-circle moment that sports movies are made of. But honestly, the "Mbappe fan of Ronaldo" narrative isn't just a cute childhood story; it’s a blueprint for how the modern superstar was built.
Most people think of professional athletes as rivals. They assume that once you reach the top, you stop looking up. That's not how it worked for Kylian. Even as he was winning a World Cup at 19, he never really hid the fact that he modeled his entire career path after the Portuguese legend. It's weirdly relatable. We all have that one person we want to be like, but Mbappe actually did it.
The Bedroom Walls That Started It All
Let’s talk about Bondy. It's a suburb of Paris where Mbappe grew up. His room wasn't just a place to sleep. It was a shrine. Every single inch of wall space was dedicated to CR7. There are photos of Ronaldo celebrating, Ronaldo sprinting, Ronaldo lifting trophies. When journalists first interviewed Mbappe’s father, Wilfried, he basically admitted that Kylian would spend hours watching YouTube clips of Ronaldo’s step-overs. He wasn't just watching for fun. He was studying.
He was obsessed.
In 2012, Zinedine Zidane actually invited a young Mbappe to the Real Madrid training ground. This is a famous story, but the detail people miss is how Mbappe reacted when he finally met Ronaldo. He didn't act like a cool, scouted prospect. He acted like a kid meeting a superhero. He asked for a photo, which he eventually got. If you look at that photo today, Ronaldo looks like the established king, and Mbappe looks like he just won the lottery. That moment changed everything. It made the dream feel tangible. Real.
Not Just a Fan, a Disciple of the "Work Ethic"
Being a fan is one thing. Copying the homework is another. Ronaldo is famous for being the first one at training and the last to leave. He’s obsessed with his diet, his sleep, and his recovery. If you look at Mbappe’s career, he’s followed that exact same "professionalism over everything" vibe. You don't see Mbappe out partying in the middle of the season. You don't see him showing up out of shape. He’s often described as a "football monk."
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That’s the Ronaldo influence.
When Mbappe moved to Real Madrid in 2024, he didn't try to hide his excitement. During his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu, he actually did the "Uno, dos, tres... ¡Hala Madrid!" shout that Ronaldo did back in 2009. Some people thought it was a bit much. Others realized it was a direct homage. He even admitted that he spoke to Cristiano before making the final decision to move to Spain. Ronaldo apparently told him to just enjoy it and keep winning. Imagine getting career advice from the guy who was on your posters. It’s wild.
The Style of Play: Spot the Difference
If you watch them closely, the technical similarities are everywhere.
The way they both start out wide on the left and cut inside on their right foot? That's the classic CR7 move. The way they use a burst of acceleration to leave a defender looking like they're standing still? Pure Ronaldo. Even the way Mbappe strikes the ball—clean, with a lot of top-spin—has echoes of the "knuckleball" era.
But here is where it gets interesting. Mbappe isn't a carbon copy. He’s more of a "Ronaldo 2.0" with a bit of Thierry Henry’s finesse mixed in. While Ronaldo became a pure "fox in the box" poacher as he got older, Mbappe still loves to use his raw speed in transition. However, the mentality is identical. That "I need to score every game or I’m going to be miserable" attitude is something Mbappe definitely caught from Cristiano.
- The Celebration: Everyone knows the "Siu." Mbappe has his own—the crossed arms—but he’s been caught doing the Siu in training more times than we can count.
- The Number 7: Mbappe wore 7 at PSG. Why? Because Ronaldo wore 7. He eventually took the 9 at Real Madrid, but only because Vinicius Jr. already had the 7. It’s all connected.
- The Big Games: Ronaldo always turned up in the Champions League. Mbappe has that same "clutch" gene. He scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final, for crying out loud.
The Rivalry That Never Really Was
People love to compare them. They want to know who is better. But you’ll notice that Mbappe never engages in that. He’s always been incredibly respectful. When Ronaldo’s Portugal got knocked out of Euro 2024 by Mbappe’s France, the first thing Kylian did wasn't celebrate. He went straight to Ronaldo. They shared a long embrace. It looked less like two competitors and more like a passing of the torch.
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Ronaldo has returned the favor, too. He’s gone on record multiple times saying that Mbappe is the present and the future of football. For a guy as competitive as Cristiano, he doesn't hand out compliments like that easily. He sees himself in Mbappe. He sees that same hunger.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Fan Label
There’s this misconception that being a "fan" makes Mbappe somehow "lesser" than Ronaldo. Like he’s just a follower. But in the world of elite sports, having an idol is actually a competitive advantage. It gives you a roadmap. By being an unashamed "Mbappe fan of Ronaldo," he skipped the trial-and-error phase that many young players go through. He knew exactly what kind of body he needed, what kind of agent he needed, and what kind of club he needed to be at.
He didn't just want to meet Ronaldo. He wanted to break his records.
That’s the nuance. It’s not just "I like this guy." It’s "I am going to study this guy until I can beat him." It’s a very Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan dynamic. Kobe worshipped MJ, but he also wanted to destroy him on the court. Mbappe has that same cold-blooded respect.
The Real Madrid Connection
Real Madrid is the common denominator. For Ronaldo, Madrid was where he became a god. He won four Champions Leagues there. He became the club's all-time leading scorer. For Mbappe, Madrid was always the "End Game." He turned down massive money from PSG and even rejected moves to the Premier League because he wanted to follow the path carved out by CR7.
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The pressure is massive, though. When you follow your idol to the biggest club in the world, people expect you to produce the same numbers. Ronaldo was averaging a goal a game. That’s an impossible standard for almost anyone else. But Mbappe seems to thrive on it. He wants the pressure. He wants the comparison.
Practical Takeaways from the Mbappe-Ronaldo Dynamic
You don't have to be a world-class footballer to learn something from this. The way Mbappe utilized his "fandom" to fuel his professional growth is a legitimate strategy.
- Find a North Star. Mbappe didn't just "want to be good." He wanted to be Ronaldo. Having a specific person to model yourself after makes the path to success much clearer.
- Study the process, not just the result. Don't just look at the trophies. Look at the 5:00 AM workouts. Mbappe didn't just copy Ronaldo’s goals; he copied his lifestyle.
- Respect your predecessors. Even when you become more famous or more successful than your heroes, acknowledging their influence keeps you grounded.
- Know when to pivot. Mbappe is a fan, but he is also his own brand. He took the "Ronaldo template" and added his own Parisian flair to it.
Kylian Mbappe is no longer just the kid with the posters. He’s the guy that the next generation of kids—in Bondy, Madrid, and London—are now putting on their walls. The cycle continues. But if you ask him today who the greatest of all time is, he’ll probably still give you the same answer he would have given you back in that bedroom in 2012.
To understand the trajectory of Mbappe's career, you have to keep an eye on his stats compared to Ronaldo’s at the same age. If you're tracking his progress, look specifically at his Champions League goal-per-game ratio. He’s currently on pace to potentially rival those Madrid records, but the real test will be his longevity. Watch how he adapts his game as he loses that initial "sprinter's" burst in his late 20s, just as Ronaldo did. Comparing their heat maps over the next three seasons will tell you everything you need to know about whether the student has truly surpassed the master.