Kylian Mbappe had Cristiano Ronaldo posters on his bedroom wall and met his idol when he was only 10 - now France and Portugal's captains face each other in a Euro 2024 quarter-final

Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo will lead their teams out for a mouthwatering quarter-final between France and Portugal at Euro 2024 on Friday night. 

It will be a moment that Mbappe could only have dreamt about as a child as he faces the man he once idolised.

Growing up in Bondy in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, Mbappe reserved two of his bedroom walls for posters of Ronaldo. There was no doubting whose footsteps he wanted to follow.

It wasn't long before he got to meet his hero after receiving tickets from his parents to see Ronaldo in action for Real Madrid when they played Marseille at the Stade Velodrome in the Champions League.

Mbappe, who was still only 10 at the time, attended the December 2009 fixture and savoured every moment of it.

He arrived two hours ahead of kick-off to ensure he didn't miss a second of Ronaldo's warm-up, and then proceeded to watch the Portuguese superstar take centre stage as he scored twice in a 3-1 Madrid win.

After the game, he waited behind to meet Ronaldo and did not hold back when he finally did, asking for an autograph, a photo and his boots. 

Mbappe was moved to tears after seeing Ronaldo up close and personal and was teased by his friends when he returned to Bondy, but he brushed it off.

'I don't care, you can make fun of me. I saw CR7, and where were you?' he replied.

Three years later, Mbappe and Ronaldo posed for another picture together, this time when the Frenchman visited the Spanish capital.

Mbappe was 13, but already had his sights set on one day playing at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu.

After making his breakthrough at Monaco, Mbappe joined PSG in 2017, and in his maiden season at the club he played against Ronaldo for the first time.

Madrid beat PSG in both legs to secure a 5-2 aggregate win in the round of 16 before Ronaldo and Co went on to triumph against Liverpool in the final.

Mbappe and Ronaldo have also met twice on the international stage before, with both games ending in stalemates.

France and Portugal played out a goalless draw in the Nations League in 2020, and then drew 2-2 at the Euros the following year.

Mbappe has never beaten Ronaldo in a competitive match, but his love and respect for his idol has not diminished.

In 2019, Mbappe hailed Ronaldo as 'the greatest athlete that football has known, who has succeeded everywhere he has been,' in an interview with France Football.

And the respect is mutual.

Following a lengthy transfer saga, Mbappe finally put pen to paper on a deal to join Madrid last month and Ronaldo was one of the first players to congratulate him.

The pair have remained in contact through text messages and social media over the years, and Ronaldo reacted to Mbappe's Instagram post confirming his move by replying: 'My turn to [watch]. Excited to see you light up the Bernabeu'.

Ronaldo's remarkable record of 450 goals in 438 matches for Madrid is a tough act to follow, but if anyone can do it, Mbappe might be the man for the job.

But first, it is all about Friday night in Hamburg.

Expect a smile, a handshake and a hug between the pair ahead of kick-off. Then battle will commence and their friendship will be put aside for 90 minutes, with a spot in the Euro 2024 semi-finals up for grabs.