Sport
Mbappe Says He’s Not Trying to Be the Next Messi or Ronaldo
Kylian Mbappe has made it clear he’s not trying to be the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, calling the two football legends irreplaceable.
Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid last summer, has already scored 30 goals in 43 matches this season. He’s now just two goals away from breaking Ronaldo’s debut-season record of 33 goals, which the Portuguese star shares with Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Despite being close to this milestone, Mbappe insists he’s not trying to follow in their footsteps. Speaking while on international duty with France, he said, “I’m not trying to take their place. They are irreplaceable.”
After hitting his 30th goal of the season, the 26-year-old remained humble, saying, “They’re legends who defined an era. If I score more than Ronaldo and Messi, it doesn’t make me better. It just means my first season is going well.”
Messi has scored over 850 career goals, while Ronaldo holds the top spot with more than 920 goals.
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has made it clear that his goal is to win every match with the team.
The Malian coach kicked off his tenure with a 1-0 win over Rwanda’s Amavubi last Friday.
Up next, Nigeria will face Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Tuesday. Chelle stressed the importance of keeping up the momentum.
“I’ve told my players that I want to win every game,” the 47-year-old said at a press conference. “Right now, my focus is on the Zimbabwe match. After that, we’ll think about the next one.”
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has expressed confidence in the team’s strength ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe.
Nigeria will face Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Tuesday evening, following their solid 2-0 win over Rwanda in the last match.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Troost-Ekong highlighted the team’s depth and tactical awareness.
“We have a lot of smart players who play at a high level and can easily adapt to different tactics,” Troost-Ekong said. “The coaches have mentioned it too — there’s a lot of quality in this team, so it’s not about teaching players how to play football.”
The current Super Eagles squad includes top talents like African Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen, who won the award before Lookman. The match against Zimbabwe is set to kick off at 5 pm.
Super Eagles players honored Ademola Lookman on Monday night with a cake to celebrate his win as the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the Year. The Atalanta winger was celebrated during dinner at the team’s camp at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Ikot Ekpene.
Lookman won the prestigious award last December in Marrakech, Morocco, following an impressive season for both his club and the Super Eagles. Victor Osimhen, who won the award in 2023, praised Lookman and said he fully deserved the recognition.
“We all know Lookman deserved this. He’s been outstanding for both his club and the Super Eagles,” Osimhen said. “It’s a big deal that this award came to Nigeria and went to someone who truly earned it.”
Osimhen added, “I’m really proud of you. We’ve talked about this privately, and I’ve told you how proud I am that you chose to play for the Super Eagles. Your hard work and dedication have paid off.”
Lookman and Osimhen were key to Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Rwanda last Friday. They’ll be looking to make an impact again when Nigeria faces Zimbabwe today.
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