Kylian Mbappé paid a heartfelt tribute to the football legend Cristiano Ronaldo after surpassing his iconic club record.
The French star, who recently celebrated his 27th birthday scored a late penalty to secure Real Madrid's win over 10-man Sevilla at the Bernabeu.
This goal allowed the striker to match Ronaldo's record of 59 goals in a single calendar year for Real Madrid.
Celebrating the milestone, Mbappé replicated Ronaldo’s iconic "Siu" celebration on the pitch and shared heartfelt words about his childhood "idol."
Speaking to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Mbappé said, “It's incredible, in my first [full] year to be able to do what Cristiano did. [He’s] my idol, the best player in Real Madrid's history. The celebration is for him. I wanted to give him a shout-out because he's always been good to me, he's helped me adapt to Madrid."
He further expressed his good wishes for the Portuguese star, "Today I wanted to share that with him. I have a very good relationship with him, he’s my friend now, and I send my best wishes to him and all Madrid fans, and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."
This came just days after Mbappé won a long-running legal battle against Paris Saint-Germain over unpaid wages and bonuses.
The French court ruled that the PSG must pay the striker €60 million (£52.5m/$63m).
Mbappé initially demanded €263m (£231.5m) from PSG which included unpaid wages, bonuses and damages he claimed due to contract disputes and alleged poor treatment.
However, the court only awarded him a smaller portion, ruling that the club owed him three months of salary, an ethics bonus and a signing bonus.
