- Fans were shocked by Ronaldo’s decision to pick Mbappe over his long-time Madrid teammate Benzema
- Ronaldo also chose Ryan Giggs over several Real Madrid legends, including Sergio Ramos and Marcelo
- The five-time Ballon d’Or winner explains his admiration for Mbappe’s potential and talent
Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent YouTube video, featuring Rio Ferdinand, has sparked significant online discussion and debate after the Portuguese icon made several unexpected player selections during a fun challenge.
One of the most surprising choices was when Ronaldo picked Kylian Mbappé over his long-time Real Madrid strike partner Karim Benzema, leaving fans stunned and social media confused.
During the video, Ferdinand presented Ronaldo with various player comparisons. Ronaldo started by choosing his former Manchester United teammate, Ryan Giggs, over Real Madrid icons like Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos.
He even selected Giggs ahead of close friends Marcelo and Pepe, who played important roles alongside him during his Madrid days. Ronaldo acknowledged the difficulty of comparing players in different roles but leaned heavily toward attackers.
Later in the challenge, Giggs fell out of favour when Ronaldo had to choose between him and Karim Benzema. Ronaldo’s decision to drop Giggs seemed reasonable, but the real surprise came when he was asked to choose between Benzema and the recently signed Real Madrid forward, Kylian Mbappe.
Without much hesitation, Ronaldo picked Mbappé, who had only just made the switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Madrid over the summer. This choice caused ripples across social media, with fans debating Ronaldo's reasoning more especially since he never played with him on the same team before.
“Mbappe has always shown incredible promise,” Ronaldo explained, as he hinted at the younger star’s potential to become one of the world's best. Ronaldo sees Mbappe as someone who could carry forward Madrid’s legacy.
The respect between the two is mutual, as seen when Mbappe greeted the Madrid faithful during his presentation with Ronaldo’s iconic “Uno, dos, tres, Hala Madrid!” slogan.
Speaking after the event, Mbappé remarked on how much Ronaldo has influenced him.
“He has always given me advice on the game and on the ability to stay connected to your passion,” Mbappe said, paying homage to the legendary Portuguese forward.
Ronaldo, now playing in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, remains an integral part of Real Madrid’s history.
His tally of 450 goals in 438 games is unmatched, but Mbappe, who has already scored three goals in five appearances for Madrid, is eager to create his legacy.
Netizens plead case for Benzema
TheRadar has compiled below some comments by netizens:
“Ronaldo is a bitter person man.
He’s probably annoyed Benzema thrived and won a Balon D’or when he left Madrid.
Ronaldo has always been holding Benzema back,” @Bewhatyoubejr
“After everything benzema did for him,” @_Chinons0
“Not a surprise since Benzema secretly hated Cristiano all of these years they played together,” @trigllav
“Benzema has a Balon Dor for a reason. But at the age of Mbappe, Benzema had not attained his level.
So give it time,” @DrJohnBishop
“Mbappe is not half the player Benzema was in his European era,” @sunjo_thomas
“Cristiano Ronaldo you shouldn’t do this to someone who has assisted you the most in your career😭😭😭,” @amjustaboi
“You can't compare the two. Let Mbappé score 354 goals for Madrid, then you can compare them,” @ahmadrazaasif10
“He's actually the most egotistic player I've ever seen,” @harryfcb21
Another day, another record for Ronaldo as he scores 900th career goal
Previously, TheRadar reported that Cristiano Ronaldo’s name had become inseparable from goal-scoring excellence, with the Al-Nassr forward setting a benchmark for young footballers worldwide.
Ronaldo reached another historic milestone in Portugal's Nations League game against Croatia on Thursday, September 5, netting his 900th career goal.
