A former France international striker said that Kylian Mbappe will not match Zinedine Zidane’s legacy.
At 26, Kylian Mbappé is already the second top scorer in French senior men’s national team history and has already led his country to a World Cup title in 2018. Still, former Les Bleus forward Djibril Cisse believes he will never match Zinedine Zidane’s acclaim.
What Cisse said
Cisse, who played for France 41 times between 2002 and 2021, praised Mbappe’s talent in a recent interview. However, he maintained that his former international teammate Zidane is the greatest French footballer in history and questioned whether Mbappé could reach similar heights.
“I don’t think Kylian Mbappe will ever be thought of as highly as Zinedine Zidane by the French people; it’s going to be hard for him to get to that level,” he said, per Goal.
Kylian Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup with France | IMAGO
France legend Zinedine Zidane
“Mbappé is definitely loved by the people and he is an outstanding player, but Zidane was universally loved by the people of France. I don’t think we will ever see a player reach that like Zidane did and still is.
“There’s no doubt that Mbappé can become the most decorated French footballer of all time – he’s doing outstanding things at Real Madrid, and they will win many trophies in years to come, but whether he can reach that legendary status Zidane had is another question.”
Mbappe vs Zidane
Both Mbappé (2018) and Zidane (1998) have led France to World Cup glory. They each played in two World Cup finals, winning one and losing the other.
While the European Championship continues to elude Mbappe, Zidane won it in 2000. In terms of goal scoring, the Real Madrid forward blows the former Los Blancos manager out of the water, with 52 goals to 31. Mbappé has 37 assists for France, while Zidane had 29.
While Cisse believes Zidane’s legacy is unmatchable, the legendary midfielder himself had conceded that Kylian Mbappe would surpass him.