When he destroyed Manchester City in the Champions League by himself, Kylian MBAPPE paid homage to two of the greatest.
In a 3-1 victory (6-3 overall), Mbappe scored a hat-trick to eliminate the Cityzens from the competition before they could even get to the actual round of 16.
With his attempts on the ball and his celebrations, Mbappe not only channeled his inner Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but it was a performance to remember.
As he celebrated his goals at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Frenchman nodded to each of the stars.
To the boisterous home crowd, he recreated Ronaldo’s most recent celebration with his first goal, a lovely chip over Ederson.
After scoring against Al Wasl earlier this month, Ronaldo mimicked a chipped ball with his hand.
After looping the ball over Ederson’s head and soaking up the atmosphere with his arms extended, Mbappe seemed to do the same.
In a strike that put Madrid well in control, he made sure his second goal—a twisted finish into the bottom corner—was all his own. He celebrated with his teammates.
However, he saved his hat-trick goal celebration for a Lionel Messi tribute.
Mbappe mimicked Lionel Messi’s celebration against Mallorca in 2011 by counting his three goals out on his fingers after scoring a well-placed left-footed drive from the area’s fringe.
Even if he is paying tribute to two of the best players in history, Mbappe is currently forging his own legacy.
The 26-year-old has now contributed to more than 500 career goals following his effort on Wednesday night.
Jude Bellingham, a teammate, was eager to remind supporters that Mbappe is just one aspect of Madrid, despite his incredible performance.
“Kylian is simply flying right now,” he said to TNT Sports. However, we occasionally require a reminder that skill alone is insufficient.
“You need organisation, you need commitment and we have worked on that after some bad results recently.”
Even club great Zinedine Zidane appeared impressed from the stands, and manager Carlo Ancelotti called the World Cup champion “fantastic” in his post-match interview.
Given that Mbappe has admired Ronaldo and Messi throughout his career, it should not be shocking that he paid tribute to them.
“I just want to admire Cristiano’s greatness,” he once stated about Ronaldo.
“No one like him will exist. He has influenced the history of football.
Despite being heartbroken by his Argentina team in the 2022 World Cup final, he was raving about Messi.
“Playing with Leo Messi is definitely something I miss a lot,” Mbappe, who played alongside Messi at PSG, stated.
“You miss playing with Leo Messi every single day! He gives you the assurance that you can get the ball, which is important for an attacker like myself who enjoys attacking areas.
“You could hardly have that luxury from anyone but him. Apart than that, it was unique to play alongside Messi.