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Ronaldo v Mbappe: Five facts about the footballers ahead of Portugal v France

An image showing Mbappe and Ronaldo's faces, both looking focussedGetty Images

Who's your favourite star player taking part in Euro 2024?

Tonight, France face Portugal in the Euros to decide which team will make it through to the semi-finals.

The knockout game will see the pressure pile on two of the teams' most famous players - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and France's Kylian Mbappe.

Speaking to the 大象传媒 ahead of the game, Mbappe has said it'll be "a pleasure" to face Ronaldo, saying: "Playing against him is an honour for everything he's done in football."

But how well do you know some of football's biggest stars?

Find out more with these facts below, and let us know your favourite player in the comments!

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Kylian Mbappe

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Did you know these facts about Mbappe?

  • Mbappe is from a sporting family, with his mum Fayza having played handball in France's Division 1, and his dad playing football for local team AS Bondy.

  • He started young and followed his father's footsteps, joining AS Bondy when he was only 16.

  • By 19, Mbappe had already won a World Cup for France, joining the hall of fame with the only other player to win it as a teenager - the footballing legend Pele!

  • At the age of 25 he'd scored 306 goals, which was more than Ronaldo and Messi at the same age.

  • During the Euro 2024 tournament, Mbappe's been wearing a mask - this is to help protect his broken nose, which he got by colliding in the air with Austrian defender Kevin Danso

Cristiano Ronaldo

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Mbappe has been a big fan of Ronaldo since a young age

  • Ronaldo began his footballing career with Portugal's Sporting CP at 16, and signed for Manchester United a year later.

  • Ronaldo is already the only male player to have represented his country at six Euros.

  • He's also the all time European Championship top goalscorer, despite failing to score in his past eight appearances at an international tournament.

  • 'Ronaldo' is actually one of the footballer's first names, with his full name being Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. He was named Ronaldo after the 40th American president Ronald Reagan.

  • And in 2015, Ronaldo got to pass on his name to something else... a galaxy! The CR7 galaxy was discovered by astronomers in 2015, with its name inspired by the footballer's initials and the number on his jersey.

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