Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé has never hidden his admiration for former Real Madrid player and Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

In his recent interview, the French-born player expressed his excitement about his relationship with his idol, stating that the 40-year-old Portuguese sometimes advises him.

Speaking in an interview with Movistar broadcast on Sunday, October 12, Kylian stated that "Cristiano has always been a role model for me. I'm lucky enough to talk to him; he gives me advice, and he's helped me”

He continued that Ronaldo remains the Spanish club’s "number one”. According to him, although Ronaldo has parted ways with Real Madrid, he remains a big example to the current crop of players in the dressing room.

“I think in Madrid, he's still the number one. He's the reference point for Real Madrid players, who have done a lot”, he said.

Fans at Santiago Bernabéu still dream of their hero, Cristiano, Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer in La Liga, with 311 goals in 292 matches between 2009 and 2018. He scored 450 goals in nine seasons at Madrid, winning 16 trophies, including four Champions Leagues.

“The fans still dream about Cristiano,” Mbappe stated.

Despite his admiration for his childhood idol, Mbappe added, “...but I want to follow my own path." In June 2024, when Kylian joined Real Madrid, he shared a picture of himself and Ronaldo with a caption," A dream come true. I’m thrilled and proud to join my dream club, Real Madrid.”

Mbappé scored 44 times in his debut season at the Santiago Bernabéu in 2024-25, and already has 14 goals to his name in this campaign.

Despite Mbappé's goalscoring, Madrid ended last season without winning a major trophy. They're currently top of LaLiga after eight games, two points clear of Barcelona, despite suffering a heavy 5-2 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid last month.

Reacting to his side's defeat, the former PSG forward admitted Atletico’s dominance in terms of duels, which makes it difficult to win such a game.

"They [Atletico] came to play a derby, and us... We did too, but without putting any intensity into the duels, the crosses," Mbappé said on Sunday. "They won all the duels. It's hard to win a game like that."

The World is currently preparing for football’s greatest tournament, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be hosted in three different countries, i.e., the USA, Canada and Mexico.

In France’s qualifiers against Azerbaijan on Friday, October 10, Kylian Mbappé notched one out of the three goals, but was substituted later on with an ankle knock, having suffered a similar injury with Madrid last weekend.

France are among the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup, but Mbappé admitted he sees Spain as a serious contender.

"For me, [Spain] are the best team in Europe right now," Mbappé- who won the 2018 World Cup, and was a runner-up in 2022 -- said. "But the World Cup is different."

Following his move from PSG to Real Madrid, rumours began to swirl and spread about his relationship with Brazilian-born forward Vinicius Jr, but he explained that they are now much better this year s they have gotten to know each other well.

"Two famous players in the same team -- that sells newspapers," Mbappé said, when asked about Vinícius. "But the truth is, I have a very good relationship with Vinicius. It's much better this year, because we know each other better," he said.

This is not the first time Kylian has addressed rumours of an estranged relationship with his teammate Vinicius. About six months ago, Kylian Mbappé talked about his bond with Vinícius during a detailed interview on Spanish TV station La Sexta, which was his first personal interview since joining Real Madrid.

Many questions were asked, particularly by fans and pundits, about whether two high-profile forwards could coexist without ego clashes in the same attack. Other rumours suggested that Vinícius was making plans to exit Real Madrid over limited play time, hinting at rotation concerns under coach Xabi Alonso, with Vinícius occasionally benched while Mbappé thrived.

However, Mbappe shot down these claims, explaining that he couldn’t imagine the team without Vini Jr.

"The relationship [with Vini] is good," Mbappé said. "It's normal that people want to talk about us, because we're two famous players who can make a difference, but I came to Real Madrid with the idea of playing with Vini.

"I can't imagine Madrid without Vini. I always had the idea of playing with him. We play well together. We can always do better, the fans always expect more of us, and it's normal, but I think we play well together and now at this stage of the season, we're going to try to help Madrid as much as we can."

Meanwhile, Cristiano has set a new record as the first footballer to be listed as a billionaire according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Bloomberg said the Portugal prodigy’s net worth an estimated $US1.4bn.

The billoanire journey began when the former Man Utd striker joined the Arabian side, Al-Nassr.

The Portugal captain joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United following a fall-out with then manager Erik-ten Hag and having criticised the club during an interview with Piers Morgan.

The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June, reportedly worth more than $400m.

In June, he confirmed an extension of contract with Al-Nassr in a £172m-per-year deal.

In an X post on June 26, he confirmed another stint with Al-Nassr, saying, "A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let's make history together."

The club also confirmed his stay on X in a post which reads, " Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at @AlNassrFC until 2027."

Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550m in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18m annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175m to his fortune.

Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of £177m ($US358m), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabian club.

Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.