Ronaldo backs Kylian Mbappe for Ballon d'Or 'if he joins Real Madrid,' likens Jude Bellingham to Zinedine Zidane
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ByOli Gent
Published 11/03/2024 at 21:39 GMT
Ronaldo Nazario believes that French superstar Kylian Mbappe will "finally" win the coveted Ballon d'Or if and when he moves to Real Madrid this summer. Mbappe is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires at the end of the season, and he is widely expected to join Los Blancos, who are currently seven points clear at the top of La Liga with ten games left to play.
Kylian Mbappé
Image credit: Getty Images
Ronaldo Nazario believes that Kylian Mbappe will “finally” win the Ballon d’Or if the French star moves to Real Madrid this summer.
PSG star Mbappe is believed to be leaving Paris on a free transfer when his contract at the Parc des Princes expires, with Los Blancos at the front of the queue for his signature.
Mbappe has been heavily linked with a move to the Bernabeu for a number of seasons, and those links have only got stronger since his rise to stardom in the French capital.
Now Ronaldo, a Real Madrid icon and former Ballon d’Or winner himself, has said that Mbappe could get his hands on FIFA’s famous award were he to don the famous white shirt.
“We have to wait until it's official before talking about it in detail, but everyone is excited about Kylian Mbappe in Madrid,” Ronaldo told Mail Sport.
“He is an amazing player. He is going to be one of the best players at this moment. I think it's a very good choice for him if he joins Madrid. I think he will finally get the Ballon d'Or if he joins Real.
“For sure, in Madrid he will have a team supporting him with every decision he makes. He will have a team to support him on the field and off the field as well. They will protect him. But, I think he had a very good time at PSG.
"Of course, PSG made a big effort to keep hold of him. He was the big star of the PSG project. But, we will see what happens with Mbappe at Real Madrid. One thing is for sure and that's that we are going to enjoy a lot more of Mbappe for the coming years.”
Madrid's star-studded squad and seven-point lead at the top of La Liga underlines their strong current position.
However, the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners are still striving to reassert their dominance on the continent, after they lost out to eventual winners Manchester City in the semi-finals of last season’s competition.
Jude Bellingham’s signing from Borussia Dortmund last summer was a step to combating that.
“I love the way Jude Bellingham plays,” Ronaldo said.
“The way he is playing at Madrid, scoring goals in almost every match, I love to watch him play. He goes forward all the time.
"I was watching a few matches in the Bernabeu stadium and I was looking for Bellingham. He surprised me a lot with his quality. The speed at which he runs into the area, you can see he wants to score goals all the time. He reminds me a little bit of Zinedine Zidane with his quality.”
Madrid have also been linked with Manchester City’s record-breaker Erling Haaland, with Los Blancos still lacking a true goalscorer since the departure of Karim Benzema.
"Real Madrid's policy is to have the best players in the world,” Ronaldo said.
“Haaland is one of the best players in the world. Everyone wants to have Haaland. He is at an unbelievable club.
“City are doing an amazing job, I think he is very happy there at the moment. I hope we can see all of those players together in the one club. It will remind me of the Galacticos if they all [Haaland, Mbappe and Bellingham] do end up at Real Madrid.
“If it happens [them all signing for Real Madrid], it's going to be crazy. Watching Real Madrid playing with all of those players together. It will be an unbelievable team that will achieve remarkable things.
“I think it's going to be a great challenge for Carlo Ancelotti to manage all of those players. But, putting good players together is easier than putting bad players together. It won't be too much of a problem for the coach.”
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