Cristiano, the mirror of Mbappé

Among the arguments of PSG to try to convince Mbappé to renew with the Parisian club, instead of going to Real Madrid for free in the summer of 2022Not only does money figure; The French team also plays with its current firepower in Europe, compared to Madrid at the moment, selling itself as a club with better options, today, to compete for the Champions League. And it is true that in the immediate past, PSG competed better than Madrid in Europe: in 2019-20 they reached the final, where they lost to Bayern, and in 2020-21 he was a semifinalist; Madrid also stayed at the gates of the final last year, but in the previous one they fell in the round of 16, like a year before.

PSG is right if it considers that, in view of the world of football, right now it seems a better option to compete for the Champions League: PSG is, together with City and Bayern, one of the main favorites to take the title in the betting shops; Madrid appears as 7th on the list, tied in options with a Juventus that he is not going through his best days either.

Cristiano and Mbappé.

But that reality does not seem to condition Mbappé much, as revealed by his own mother, Fayza Lamari, in her interview with ‘Le Parisien’: Four years ago, Madrid were more attractive than PSG and we chose PSG. This summer, Kylian decided on Madrid because he wanted to make his dream come true. Now, if you join Madrid Kylian, plus three or four players in the next four years, this team is not the same. Kylian wants to be at the center of a sports project. He needs constant challenges. “And Mbappé also has the example of Cristiano Ronaldo, his great soccer idol, to inspire him.

Let’s remember: Cristiano came to Real Madrid in 2009 from Manchester United, taking a leap backed by history (the whites then had nine European Cups; United, with just three), but not too much at that time from both teams: Madrid accumulated five seasons falling in the round of 16, while United he came from being a semifinalist in 2006-07, champion in 2007-08 and finalist in 2008-09.

Mbappé, behind Messi and Neymar

The failure of Cristiano de blanco’s first year (he fell again in the second round, against Lyon) raised doubts, but time ended up proving the Portuguese right: He played nine years in white, in which Madrid were champions four times and reached the semifinals four other times. Cristiano went to the Bernabéu to be the center of the white sports project and the fruits, although they were late in coming (the first title was not won until 2013-14), were abundant.

That Madrid surrounded Cristiano with a lot of talent: Benzema, Kaká, Xabi Alonso, Di María, Özil, Bale, Isco, Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Morata … That is what Mbappé expects, who knows that if he signs for the whites, it will be the sun around which the rest of the stars in the Madrid sky will orbit. A question that has been pursuing years in Paris, without any success. He already complained publicly in the summer of 2019 (“I think it is time to assume more responsibility; perhaps in Paris, perhaps elsewhere”), but PSG has gone in the opposite direction: they renewed Neymar and signed Messi, relegating the French to a third place in importance. Mbappé grew with the goals of Cristiano in Madrid (Those photographs in his Bondy room, completely wallpapered with posters of the Portuguese, prove it); and in his more than likely move to Madrid next summer, CR7 is the mirror in which Mbappé wants to see himself reflected.