'Cristiano Ronaldo is Mbappe's idol' France manager reluctant to compare both

It was a game of the champions at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis as world champions France clashed against European champions Portugal. The UEFA Nations League match ended in a draw after both Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo failed to contribute any goals for their respective sides.

It seems the rising French star enjoyed playing against one of the all-time greats of the game. After Sunday's game, Mbappe posted a photograph of himself with the Portuguese behemoth on Instagram, where the Frenchman said Ronaldo is his "idol." Ronaldo later commented on the post with a fist-bump emoji.

Just before the second-half began, the pair was seen having a friendly exchange with both footballers smiling at each other. They last played against one another in March 2018, when Real Madrid played against Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League.

It has been a long time since then, and the 35-year old Portuguese captain now plays for Serie A side Juventus. Meanwhile, the 21-year old Frenchman has established himself as one of the great talents in world football. He also has a FIFA World Cup title to his name. European media has even started comparing Mbappe to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. However, France manager Didier Deschamps thinks it is too early to compare them.

According to Goal, Deschamps said, "He [Ronaldo] was his idol. But I think that Cristiano was and is the idol of many young football players. It's difficult to compare them. Cristiano has been playing for many years at the highest level. They aren't the same age. I think it will be better to make a comparison when Kylian will be as old as Cristiano is now. They are two players who are able to be decisive for their team at any moment. They both are top players."

The repeat of the 2016 Euro Cup final failed to live up to the expectations surrounding it. Both teams could only manage three shots on target. Ronaldo came closest to scoring in added time when he fired a left-footed shot at the post but his shot got deflected and eventually, was well saved by France keeper Hugo Lloris.