No one knows better than Cristiano Ronaldo about how to succeed at Real Madrid, so Kylian Mbappe better listen up.
Los Blancos and football’s all-time top scorer was discussing the eventual heir to his throne after a tricky start.
@elchiringuitotvBut Ronaldo has some advice for both the no.9 and Madrid’s fans[/caption]
Mbappe arrived from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer and despite registering 21 goals and three assists in 33 games, it’s only recently that he’s started getting positive reviews.
That wasn’t the case for Ronaldo at Madrid, starting with an absolute bang before smashing all the club’s scoring records and collecting four Champions League crowns.
It’s not only Mbappe who’s struggled in the Spanish capital this season, though, with Carlo Ancelotti, Aurelien Tchouameni and Lucas Vazquez getting their names booed before a Copa del Rey match against Celta Vigo last month.
The France captain hasn’t had that treatment yet, and Ronaldo is hoping it stays that way, saying in an interview with El Chiringuito: “Take care of him, take care of him. I say this to the Real Madrid fans… Take care of the kid.”
Mbappe famously idolised Ronaldo as a child, meeting him at Madrid’s training ground and posing in his bedroom with posters of the Portuguese legend plastered across the wall.
Mentioning those images, Ronaldo added: “I like him a lot, and not just because of the story ‘when I was young I adored Cristiano Ronaldo and he was my idol’, but I really see him as a star and he will bring a lot of joy to Real Madrid.
“I watch the games from time to time because my son Mateo really likes Mbappe.”
However, Ronaldo did pass comment on the biggest struggle for Mbappe so far in the Spanish capital, the fact that Vinicius Jr occupies his preferred spot on the left wing.
That’s led to Mbappe being forced to play as a striker with some poor results, including eight offsides in a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Liverpool.
Ronaldo also went through the same transition at the Bernabeu, and he gave some advice to a man hoping to do it as successfully.
“The forward position makes things a bit more difficult, because he doesn’t know how to play as a forward in my opinion,” Ronaldo said.
“It’s not that he doesn’t know how, but it’s not his position. If I were at Real Madrid, I would teach him to play as a number nine, because I wasn’t a forward.
“I got used to playing as a forward. I played on the wing and people forget. If I were him, I would play more or less like Cristiano plays as a forward.”