Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois believes that Cristiano Ronaldo‘s winning mentality is bigger than that of Kylian Mbappe. He said that the Frenchman is carrying the team this season and has become a leader, but still falls short of the Portuguese superstar.
Speaking to El Partidazo de COPE, Courtois said that he does not compare Mbappe to Ronaldo as they are two different players. However, he believes that the Frenchman is showing more of the winning mentality he has lacked in comparison to the Al-Nassr forward and said:
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“I was not with Cristiano because the summer I arrived at Real Madrid he went to Juventus. I think they are two different players, but Cristiano still has a bit more winning mentality than Kylian. But this year we have seen more of that mentality in Kylian, he has shifted up a gear and is carrying the team a lot. You can see that he is a leader and every match it will show more.”
Kylian Mbappe scored 39 goals in 53 matches during his debut season for Real Madrid, breaking the record held by Ivan Zamorano with 37 goals in 45 games. Cristiano Ronaldo came close to breaking the record in 2009/10, but finished the season with 33 goals in 35 matches.
Carlo Ancelotti backs Kylian Mbappe to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s level at Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti spoke about Kylian Mbappe last season and backed the Frenchman to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy at Real Madrid. The former Los Blancos manager claimed that the former Paris Saint-Germain star has the quality to reach the level needed and said (via 90MIN):
“Mbappe has a lot of quality and can match Cristiano, yes, but Cristiano set the bar very high. Mbappe is just starting out at Madrid, he’s enthusiastic. But it’s not going to be that easy for Mbappe to reach Cristiano’s level, he has to work.”
“Everyone was waiting for this hat-trick from him and it has finally arrived. But Mbappe is not the only one, we have many players who make a difference. And they make a difference with their collective work above their individual quality which is remarkable.”
Cristiano Ronaldo played 438 matches at Real Madrid, scoring 450 goals and assisting 131 times. The Portuguese superstar won the UEFA Champions League four times and added two La Liga titles to his tally during his nine seasons at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Edited by Sripad
