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Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has revealed that Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane was one of his inspirations growing up.
Per Goal’s Will Magee, Mbappe spoke at the launch of his new charity, Inspired by KM, through which he is providing support for 98 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren between the ages of nine and 16.
Asked who inspired him during his formative years, Mbappe said:
“Well, I’ve had phases. To start, as a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, it was Zidane. If you’re a boy and you’re French, your idol is Zidane.
“After that, it was Cristiano [Ronaldo], and I’ve been lucky enough to face him. Then it was the Brazilian Ronaldo for the way he played.
“I want to leave that sort of a mark with my values, to leave a message in the history of football.”
Zidane helped France win the FIFA World Cup in 1998, six months before Mbappe was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in December of that year.
He was part of the French squad that won UEFA Euro 2000 and retired from playing in 2006 after leading Les Bleus to another World Cup final.
The 47-year-old holds Mbappe in high regard, too:
Their mutual admiration comes amid Real Madrid’s interest in signing Mbappe from PSG. According to AS‘ Eduardo Cornago, the Spanish giants are “optimistic” they can snap him up in the summer and have remained on good terms with the Parisian outfit to help facilitate such a move.
The chance to work with Zidane, who has led Real to three UEFA Champions League titles and La Liga as a manager among other honours, could hold plenty of appeal to Mbappe.
Eden Hazard, who joined Los Blancos from Chelsea last summer, has revelled in working under a player he grew up idolising, too.
What’s more, Mbappe would be the ideal replacement for another of his idols, Cristiano Ronaldo, at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ronaldo left Real for Juventus in 2018 having notched 450 goals in nine seasons in the Spanish capital.
Replacing that kind of goal record is nigh-on impossible, but Mbappe has already proved to be an exceptional goalscorer:
He has the kind of electric pace Ronaldo possessed when he first signed for Real, too:
The France international only turned 21 in December, so there’s plenty of scope for him to get even better in front of goal as he gets older.
He’s creative, too, having laid on a combined 60 assists for Monaco and PSG during his brief senior career.
His age also means that, like Ronaldo was, he could be an incredible asset to Real for the best part of a decade or more.
