The Euro 2024 matchup between Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé has gained additional intrigue.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Kylian Mbappé.A clash of soccer icons. A clash of generations.
The highly anticipated quarterfinal match between Portugal
and France in the Euro 2024 tournament will take place on Friday, and this
significant encounter has gained even greater importance.
“It is, without doubt, my last European Championship,” the
39-year-old Ronaldo said after his tearful, emotionally charged performance in
Portugal’s penalty-shootout victory over Slovenia in the last 16.
That may have just confirmed what many were presuming
anyway.
Still, there’s now a definitive specter of finality to
Ronaldo’s long, headline-grabbing Euros adventure that could be brought to an
end by Mbappé, the heir apparent to Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after their
long-time dominance of the sport.
Mbappé grew up with pictures of Ronaldo on his bedroom wall.
A photo is inevitably doing the rounds on social media of
what is apparently their first ever meeting, at Real Madrid’s training ground
at Valdebebas in 2012 when a 13-year-old Mbappé stood beside Ronaldo after a
visit to the Spanish club where his sporting hero was the star player.
In 2020, Mbappé posted on Twitter, now X, that Ronaldo was
his “idol.”
And only a few months ago, Ronaldo reacted to Mbappé
clinching a highly anticipated move to Madrid by writing on Instagram: “Excited
to see you light up the Bernabeu.”
That Mbappé can now end Ronaldo’s European Championship
career — who knows, it might even be his last ever major tournament — adds an
intriguing subplot to a match that will be watched around the world.
“Let’s go, let’s go to war,” Ronaldo said of the match
against France, whom he considers as the top contender at Euro 2024 along with
Spain.
He said he was driven to tears against Slovenia not at the
prospect of elimination but because his main motivation these days is “making
people happy” and he had a penalty saved in extra time.
“I’m moved by all that football means — by the enthusiasm I
have for the game, the enthusiasm for seeing my supporters, my family, the
affection people have for me.
“It’s not about leaving the world of football. What else is
there for me to do or win?”
Ronaldo heads into Friday’s game having failed to score in
eight straight matches at major tournaments — Portugal’s last four at the 2022
World Cup and its four games at Euro 2024 — and with growing concerns about
whether he deserves what appears to be a guaranteed spot in the team under
Roberto Martinez.
Things haven’t been straightforward for Mbappé, either, at
Euro 2024.
He sustained a broken nose in France’s group opener against
Austria and has since been wearing a vision-limiting protective facemask during
games. Mbappé has scored one goal and that was from the penalty spot against
Poland – it’s the only goal scored by a France player at these Euros.
“He will have to get used to it,” France coach Didier
Deschamps said of Mbappé and his mask, “because, to protect (his nose), he will
have to wear it for a few weeks — or even a few months.”
Few would have predicted the top scorer at the last World
Cup (Mbappé) and the record scorer in men’s international soccer (Ronaldo) to
have just one goal between them heading into the quarterfinals.
But no one will be surprised if they come alive in Hamburg,
with the pressure on and the occasion so big.
Mbappé, remember, scored a hat trick in the World Cup final
and has been logging Ronaldo-esque scoring numbers in the first part of his
career. He’s already on 48 goals for France at the age of 25, and is also on 48
goals in the Champions League from 73 appearances.
He Is chasing down Ronaldo’s scoring records at both
international (130) and Champions League (140) level and will likely only
succeed by showing the same undimmed passion and desire as the player he used
to copy as a kid.
As their countries’ respective captains, they’ll shake hands
and embrace before kickoff. You can bet they’ll do the same after the match.
By that time, one of them will be on his way home.
For Mbappé, there will surely be more European Championships
down the road.
For Ronaldo, this could be the end of the road. AP