The king and the prince: Ronaldo and Mbappe swap shirts after Portugal-France draw

An iconic snap that will resonate through the decades?

Thu, 24 Jun, 2021 - 10:58

Cian Locke

An iconic snap that will resonate through the decades? A ceremonial changing of the guard? The king and the prince? The boy wonder sneaking a glance of admiration at the veteran warrior who had just come up trumps yet again.

Or, if you want to be cynical, a continuation of the coziness that saw Portugal and France call a truce late on and settle for the 2-2 draw that shut out underdogs Hungary right there in their homeland.

Read what you want into this shot of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe leaving the pitch together following the action in Budapest, having exchanged shirts.

Angel Martinez's photograph was captured after a night when Ronaldo had taken centre stage yet again, albeit from the penalty spot.

His two successful kicks — under the threat of elimination and in front of a hostile crowd who hurled plastic bottles and glasses at him — kept Portugal in the competition.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group F match between Portugal and France at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (Bernadett Szabo, Pool photo via AP)

It also drew him level with Ali Daei as the record goalscorer in international football, with an incredible 109 goals.

Mbappe, despite frequent devastating bursts of his formidable turbo, hasn't quite yet set the tournament alight as expected and has yet to score.

In the photo his is the submissive presence, almost lending an admiring ear as the hero holds court.

Getting some advice maybe on his next destination, after the PSG man reportedly asked to leave Paris in recent days.

Whatever they are discussing, it's a photo we'll undoubtedly revisit many times if Mbappe eventually replaces the Portuguese colossus in the pantheon.