Wayne Rooney Compares Kylian Mbappé to Ronaldo Nazário as French Star Matches R9’s World Cup Scoring Record

Wayne Rooney has drawn a direct line between Kylian Mbappé and Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazário, declaring the French forward to be the closest player he has ever witnessed to the two-time World Cup winner known as R9.

The former England captain made the comparison in response to growing public scrutiny of Mbappé’s performances, arguing that contemporary football supporters risk failing to recognise a generational talent while he is still active. “Kylian Mbappé is the closest to R9 I have ever seen,” Rooney said. “I think we’re at danger of not appreciating him now and then we’re gonna look back and say ‘I grew up in that generation, why didn’t I appreciate it a bit more?'”

Rooney continued: “In our society, instead of appreciating what’s in front of them, we’re trying to look at the negatives… instead of saying, ‘Let’s just enjoy this generational talent who we’re possibly never gonna see anything like him again.'”

The basis for the comparison is firmly rooted in statistics and playing style. Both Ronaldo Nazário and Mbappé are defined by explosive straight-line pace, direct power, and clinical finishing — qualities that make each particularly devastating in transition football. Their respective World Cup legacies also run in parallel. Ronaldo Nazário claimed FIFA World Cup titles in 1994 and 2002, scoring 15 goals across his World Cup career. Mbappé, who captained France to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, has now officially matched that tally of 15 World Cup tournament goals following his strike against Iraq at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

At 27 years of age, Mbappé’s position in the 2026 tournament scoring charts places him among the leading contenders for the Golden Boot alongside Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, according to live rankings from the ongoing competition. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, represents Mbappé’s third appearance at the tournament, and his accumulated goal record now sits at a level that only a handful of players in the history of the competition have reached.

Rooney’s intervention adds a notable voice to the ongoing discourse surrounding Mbappé, who has faced periodic criticism despite his continued productivity at the highest level. The former Manchester United and Everton striker, who scored 53 goals in 120 appearances for England during his international career, carries considerable authority in assessments of elite forward play.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup still in progress, Mbappé has the opportunity to surpass Ronaldo Nazário’s record outright. Germany’s Miroslav Klose holds the all-time World Cup scoring record with 16 goals, meaning Mbappé requires just two more strikes to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer — a milestone that would further cement the legitimacy of Rooney’s comparison.