This Player Can Follow ‘Ronaldo’s Footsteps’ But Real Madrid Will Struggle To Sign Him, Claims Former Star Defender

One of the best central defenders in soccer, Fabio Cannavaro, has claimed Real Madrid need a young star like Kylian Mbappe who has the potential to follow “footsteps” of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mbappe, whose current contract at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will expire 2022, is expected to be as expensive as a world record of $308 million. While he is being chased by the likes of Liverpool FC and Real Madrid, PSG are turning no stone unturned to retain their talented striker.

“Real Madrid need players like Mbappe, a young star who could follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo," Cannavaro, who currently manages Guangzhou Evergrande, a club that plays in the Chinese Premier League, told AS.

Cannavaro, who won two La Liga titles with Real Madrid between 2006 and 2009, went on to explain that it won’t be easy for the Spanish giants to secure Mbappe as PSG right now are “ambitious to win the Champions League.”

“It's normal that Madrid want to sign him but it also has to be taken into account that PSG's owners don't need the money. They are ambitious and they want to win the Champions League. I think it will be difficult for Madrid to get him. The president of PSG is a person who wants to win, I know them well and they will fight tooth and nail to keep Mbappe,” the 46-year-old center-back, who also played for Juventus, further added.

While speaking about FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi, Cannavaro admitted that while everyone had eyes on Messi, he admired Andres Iniesta.

“Everyone had eyes on Messi, but I was watching this player. He played with such style, you couldn't help but love him when you saw him play. He was a perfectly professional, very humble ... I loved him. Everybody might have been watching Messi but I was watching Iniesta,” Cannavaro said.

Messi took over Barcelona’s full-time captaincy after Iniesta’s departure in 2018. The legendary midfielder, who recently turned 36, bagged 30+ trophies with the Catalans before he moved to Japan’s Vissel Kobe.