Kylian Mbappe says it will be an ‘honour’ to share the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo in a mouth-watering Euro 2024 quarter-final but insists he is determined to send France through at the expense of Portugal.
European heavyweights France and Portugal meet in Hamburg on Friday night with a place in the semi-finals on the line.
World Cup finalists France have flattered to deceive so far in Germany, failing to top Group D before needing a late own goal to edge past Belgium in a cagey last-16 affair.
Portugal, meanwhile, successfully topped Group F despite suffering a shock defeat to Georgia, before beating dogged Slovenia on penalties after their last-16 tie finished goalless.
The battle between Mbappe and Ronaldo will be an intriguing subplot to Friday’s encounter, with the former widely regarded as the best player in the world having surpassed Ronaldo in recent years.
Mbappe even now finds himself at Real Madrid, the club where Ronaldo established himself as an all-time great, scoring 450 goals in 438 matches and lifting four Champions League trophies.
‘Cristiano Ronaldo is unique, an icon. He is someone who has inspired an entire generation,’ Mbappe said ahead of the biggest game of the Euros so far.
‘It is an honour [to play against him]. Everyone knows about my admiration for Cristiano. His CV speaks for itself. There will never be another player like him.
‘Respect to him, he remains a legend of the game, but I hope we win tomorrow and take a step closer to the final.’
France have prevailed in 19 of their 28 meetings with France. The nations shared an entertaining 2-2 draw when they last met during the group stage of Euro 2020.
Ex-PSG forward Mbappe has underwhelmed at the Euros, his form not helped by a broken nose he suffered against Austria in France’s opening game.
Ronaldo is yet to score at his record sixth European Championship, missing a penalty in normal time against Slovenia before converting his spot-kick in the shootout to help Portugal progress.