'Impossible for Kylian Mbappe to be like Cristiano Ronaldo' - Atalanta legend feels France international facing insurmountable task at Real Madrid

Atalanta legend Josip Ilicic has opined on Kylian Mbappe's current form at Real Madrid amid this week's Champions League clash between the two and has claimed that it is impossible for him to match the legacy of a great like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is Madrid's all-time top scorer. The Slovenia icon also dived into the reasons that have led to Mbappe going through a remarkably torrid time.

It is no secret that Mbappe grew up idolising Ronaldo and followed his exploits at Real Madrid, where he would go on to create history both collectively and individually. In fact, Mbappe even recreated the famous "Uno, dos, tres, Hala Madrid!" part from Ronaldo's record-breaking presentation in 2009 during his own presentation last summer.

However, it hasn't been smooth sailing for the French forward thus far. Mbappe got on the scoresheet in Madrid's recent 3-0 win over Girona, bringing his tally to 11 goals from 21 games this season. But numbers aside, the No. 9 has looked out of touch and out of confidence at times.

Speaking to AS, Ilicic said: "I think there is a fundamental error. In Mbappe's role, there's already a player at Madrid who almost won the Ballon d'Or. And they had to adapt Mbappe as a center forward. I don't see him doing well there. You can tell he's always looking to open up where Vini is. And honestly I expected that. He is suffering a lot as a striker, he has less space and little support to free himself. Then add enormous pressure and expectations to this. People expected to see him do what Cristiano did and that is impossible. Messi and he were from another planet. In France, moreover, he felt more defended. In Madrid the expectations are something else. If you don't score goals, you're deemed worthless."

Mbappe's interview with Canal+ was released on Sunday, in which the France international touched upon the problems which he has had to deal with since arriving in the Spanish capital, including his omission from the French national team.

His goal against Girona was a typical Mbappe finish, but apart from that, he looked more confident and sharp in the second half, occupying more central positions and making some nice off-ball runs. Both the fans and his teammates will be hoping that Mbappe uses the Girona display as a springboard to unleash his best version for the remainder of the season.