Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo will lead their teams out for a mouthwatering quarter-final between France and Portugal at Euro 2024 on Friday night.

It will be a moment that Mbappe could only have dreamt about as a child as he faces the man he once idolised.

Growing up in Bondy in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, Mbappe reserved two of his bedroom walls for posters of Ronaldo. There was no doubting whose footsteps he wanted to follow.

It wasn’t long before he got to meet his hero after receiving tickets from his parents to see Ronaldo in action for Real Madrid when they played Marseille at the Stade Velodrome in the Champions League.

Mbappe, who was still only 10 at the time, attended the December 2009 fixture and savoured every moment of it.

Kylian Mbappe had posters of Cristiano Ronaldo on his bedroom walls as a child

Mbappe met Ronaldo when he was only 10 after Real Madrid beat Marseille in 2009, and they posed for a picture again in 2012

Ronaldo scored twice against Marseille – including a free-kick – with Mbappe watching on

Mbappe and Ronaldo will captain their France and Portugal teams in their Euro 2024 quarter-final on Friday

He arrived two hours ahead of kick-off to ensure he didn’t miss a second of Ronaldo’s warm-up, and then proceeded to watch the Portuguese superstar take centre stage as he scored twice in a 3-1 Madrid win.

After the game, he waited behind to meet Ronaldo and did not hold back when he finally did, asking for an autograph, a photo and his boots.

Mbappe was moved to tears after seeing Ronaldo up close and personal and was teased by his friends when he returned to Bondy, but he brushed it off.

‘I don’t care, you can make fun of me. I saw CR7, and where were you?’ he replied.

Three years later, Mbappe and Ronaldo posed for another picture together, this time when the Frenchman visited the Spanish capital.

Mbappe was 13, but already had his sights set on one day playing at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu.

After making his breakthrough at Monaco, Mbappe joined PSG in 2017, and in his maiden season at the club he played against Ronaldo for the first time.

Madrid beat PSG in both legs to secure a 5-2 aggregate win in the round of 16 before Ronaldo and Co went on to triumph against Liverpool in the final.

Mbappe and Ronaldo played against each other for the first time in 2018 when Real Madrid beat PSG in the Champions League

They also met at Euro 2020 when France and Portugal played out a 2-2 draw

Mbappe is happy to take advice from Ronaldo, and has hailed him as ‘the greatest athlete that football has known’

 

Mbappe and Ronaldo have also met twice on the international stage before, with both games ending in stalemates.

France and Portugal played out a goalless draw in the Nations League in 2020, and then drew 2-2 at the Euros the following year.

Mbappe has never beaten Ronaldo in a competitive match, but his love and respect for his idol has not diminished.

In 2019, Mbappe hailed Ronaldo as ‘the greatest athlete that football has known, who has succeeded everywhere he has been,’ in an interview with France Football.

And the respect is mutual.

Following a lengthy transfer saga, Mbappe finally put pen to paper on a deal to join Madrid last month and Ronaldo was one of the first players to congratulate him.

The pair have remained in contact through text messages and social media over the years, and Ronaldo reacted to Mbappe’s Instagram post confirming his move by replying: ‘My turn to [watch]. Excited to see you light up the Bernabeu’.

Mbappe spoke about potentially replicating Ronaldo’s feats at Madrid on Thursday, saying: ‘I have the opportunity to start my dream of playing for Real Madrid, I hope to write the history of Real Madrid.

‘But Cristiano’s story at Real Madrid was unique. I hope to do something unique. I only have praise for him. We are in contact, he’s a legend.’

Ronaldo’s remarkable record of 450 goals in 438 matches for Madrid is a tough act to follow, but if anyone can do it, Mbappe might be the man for the job.

But first, it is all about Friday night in Hamburg.

Mbappe has only scored a penalty at this summer’s Euros after breaking his nose in France’s opening game, and he is still trying to find his best form after returning to the pitch with a protective mask.

Kylian Mbappe is yet to find his best form after returning from a broken nose

Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in tears after missing a penalty in the last-16 against Slovenia

He has received the full support of Roberto Martinez and will lead his side out against Mbappe’s France

Ronaldo’s tournament has not been any better. He is yet to find the net, and missed a penalty in Portugal’s last-16 clash with Slovenia.

The 39-year-old was reduced to tears after his miss, but regained his composure to convert his spot-kick in the subsequent shootout as Portugal prevailed on penalties.

He has received the full backing of manager Roberto Martinez and will wear the captain’s armband once more in the quarter-finals.

Mbappe and Ronaldo are yet to spark into life in Germany, but they cannot be counted out, especially when it comes to crunch time in a major tournament.

Expect a smile, a handshake and a hug between the pair ahead of kick-off. Then battle will commence and their friendship will be put aside for 90 minutes, with a spot in the Euro 2024 semi-finals up for grabs.