Former Real Madrid standout Cristiano Ronaldo offered some unsolicited advice for the club’s newest superstar Kylian Mbappe, arguing that the France international should model his game after his own as he settles into life with the reigning UEFA Champions League winners.
Mbappe has scored 22 goals so far in his first season at Real Madrid, but Ronaldo believes that there is room for improvement when taking the World Cup winner’s tactical preferences into consideration.
“It’s complicated, because he doesn’t know how to play as a forward in my opinion — or rather, it’s not that he doesn’t know, but it isn’t his position,” Ronaldo said in an interview with El Chiringuito in Spain, which aired on Monday. “If I was at Madrid, I’d show him how to play as a number nine.”
Ronaldo used his own career trajectory as an example for Mbappe to follow, in part because he had to tailor his style to fit in at Madrid.
“I wasn’t a forward,” Ronaldo said. “I got used to it, but I was a winger. People forget that. I was a forward, but not a typical forward. I think [Mbappé] shouldn’t be a typical forward, he should do things his way. … If I was him, I would play more or less like Cristiano as a forward.”
The Portugal international, who is also Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer, is a fan of Mbappe and believes the pressure placed on the 26-year-old is not entirely fair.
“Look after the lad,” Ronaldo said. “The fans need to look after him. He’s very good. The club have to help to protect him, I have no doubt he’ll bring a lot of joy to Madrid fans. I love [Mbappé], not just because of his story as a kid, how he loved Cristiano, I was his idol. I think he’s a top player.”
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