Kylian Mbappé does not need to look far to see one of the four greatest footballers of all time. He just has to glance across the training pitch at Clairefontaine.

Speaking to Complex magazine at France’s base outside Paris, the Real Madrid forward listed his personal football Mount Rushmore.

“My football Mount Rushmore? In no particular order? Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, without hesitation. And I can’t leave out the Brazilian Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane,” he told Complex.

Between them, the four have won 16 Ballon d’Ors: eight for Messi, five for Cristiano Ronaldo, two for Ronaldo Nazário and one for Zidane.

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Zidane on the training pitch

The pick of Zidane lands differently now that he is Mbappé’s own coach. The French Football Federation confirmed Zidane as national-team manager on 28 July 2026, on a four-year deal, replacing Didier Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup. Zidane officially took over on 1 September.

“The French team was the only thing I wanted to do,” Zidane said at his unveiling.

“I didn’t take a club job for that reason. The only thing I wanted to do after Madrid was manage the French national team.”

Mbappé, 27, shared a Paris Saint-Germain dressing room with Messi for two seasons before following his boyhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, where Zidane now coaches him at international level.

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A Ballon d’Or of his own on 26 October

Mbappé is on the shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. The ceremony takes place at the London Palladium on Monday 26 October 2026.

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