Carlo Ancelotti said Kylian Mbappé “has the possibility” to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy at Real Madrid after the forward equalled Ronaldo’s goal tally in his debut season at the club.
Mbappé scored twice in Madrid’s 3-2 comeback win against Leganés at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, making it 33 goals in all competitions so far this season.
Ronaldo also scored 33 goals in his first Madrid campaign — in 2009-10 — before going on to become the club’s all-time record goalscorer, winning four Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles among a total of 16 trophies.
“It’s difficult to compare different players,” Ancelotti said in a news conference yesterday when asked if Mbappé could go on to become the best player in history. “What I can hope for is that Mbappé can achieve what Cristiano Ronaldo achieved at Real Madrid. I think he has the possibility to do it. If he does that, he’ll be a legend at Real Madrid like Cristiano Ronaldo is.”
Mbappé has scored 22 goals in 27 LaLiga appearances so far, as well as another seven in the Champions League, and one-off goals in the Copa del Rey, Spanish Supercopa, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Ronaldo found the net 26 times in his first LaLiga campaign, but increased that to 40 league goals in his second season, 2010-11, rising to a peak of 48 in 2014-15.
Madrid are second in LaLiga, host Real Sociedad in their Copa del Rey semifinal second leg today — having won the first leg 1-0 — and face Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals next week.
Ancelotti denied that Mbappé’s deputy, Endrick, is concerned about his lack of minutes this season, and said the Brazilian could feature against La Real.
“I don’t think he’s worried,” Ancelotti said. “I’m delighted with him, and when I can I’ll give him minutes. He’s always made the most of the minutes he’s had. Of course, tomorrow he has a chance. In the Copa del Rey, he’s done well.”
Madrid are three points behind Barcelona in the LaLiga table, and Ancelotti said he’s not bothered by claims that Madrid’s title rivals are playing better football.
“Barcelona play very nice football, with intensity, and Madrid play a different football, with a lot of quality, “Ancelotti said. “I like both, and that’s OK. It’s hard to compare, because there are different aspects: who presses most? Who defends best?
“It’s also about the characteristics of the players you have. Comparisons are almost impossible… I love the way Real Madrid play. We can improve things, some seasons are better than others. The players change, and you can’t maintain a style and identity for many years. If you try to maintain the same style, you always fail in the end.”
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