Which two footballing stars inspired Kylian Mbappe to join Real Madrid?

French World Cup winner and Galacticos star, Kylian Mbappé has disclosed what fueled his aspiration to join Real Madrid. Although, Mbappé came close to signing with Madrid in 2022 before finally making the move two years later, he has now revealed that his dream of playing for the club began in childhood. 

He attributed this passion to his two idols- Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. The two legendary players ignited his love for the club.

Kylian Mbappe reveals his reason to join Real Madrid 

Kylian Mbappe claimed that Real Madrid has an unmatched aura among all football clubs. He remembered meeting and interacting with former Galacticos star Zinedine Zidane as a 13-year-old kid.

"I live a dream every day to play here. Zidane was my idol, I started because of him. This club has an aura, it's the best in the world. Since Cristiano arrived I followed every game; he was my other idol. I met Zidane here when I was 13. I spent a week in Valdebebas and could only speak to Zidane because I didn't speak any other language than French. There were opportunities to stay but it wasn't possible because of my family. I couldn't come alone," Mbappe said.

Kylian Mbappe didn't have the best of starts at Santiago Bernabeu. He initially struggled to find any form and net any goals. However, over the past 2 months, he has established himself as the team's top scorer. He has scored 33 goals in 51 fixtures so far. He sits second in the Laliga top scorers list behind Barcelona's veteran striker Robert Lewandowski.

Real Madrid is in the midst of a lacklustre season. They lost their last Laliga fixture against Valencia 1-2 and currently sit in second place behind arch-rivals Barcelona. Mbappe and co will travel to England at the Emirates to face Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.