Cristiano Ronaldo trolls Kylian Mbappé’s LEGO creation as World Cup rivalry takes playful turn before 2026 showdown

Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé have found another way to keep football fans talking before the 2026 FIFA World Cup even begins. This time, the rivalry came through a playful LEGO campaign that quickly exploded across social media. Ronaldo’s latest video showed him sneaking into what appeared to be France’s locker room before casually destroying Mbappé’s LEGO setup and replacing it with his own figurine. The clip followed Mbappé’s earlier prank involving Ronaldo’s Portugal-themed LEGO display. What could have been a simple brand promotion instead revealed the growing chemistry between two global stars connected by admiration, competition, and football history.Mbappe kicked things off by posting a short Instagram video where he quietly slips into what appears to be Ronaldo's hotel room. A Portugal No. 7 shirt hangs in the background. He swaps out Ronaldo's LEGO figurine for his own and walks out without a word. His caption: "Time for a substitution."Ronaldo didn't sit on it long. He fired back with his own video, walked into Mbappe's room, pulled the same move, and left his caption at two words: "Fixed it."Both videos are paid partnerships, but the casual, competitive banter between them landed exactly right online. The LEGO sets themselves are detailed enough to carry the joke. Messi's figurine shows him pointing both fingers to the sky. Ronaldo's does the iconic "SIU" pose. For two players heading into what is almost certainly their final World Cups, it's a lighter moment in what promises to be a heavily charged summer.There's more than just a marketing deal connecting these two. Mbappe grew up idolising Ronaldo, and when he finally joined Real Madrid ahead of the 2024-25 season, he announced it with childhood photos of himself alongside the Portuguese star.Now, the dynamic has shifted entirely. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Mbappe opened up about it: "He is a friend now. It's so great when people you idolize when you're young become your friends."Ronaldo's support during Mbappe's first season at the Bernabeu was genuine and practical. "We used to talk a lot, and he helped me in my first year at Madrid, because he knows it very well. We have a wonderful relationship and I'm very happy with it," Mbappe said.That first season was historic. Mbappe finished with 43 goals, breaking practically every record available. His second season saw him hit 29 goals before the calendar even turned to 2025, equalling Ronaldo's club record of 59 goals in a calendar year. He came within two goals of Ronaldo's Champions League single-campaign record of 17, netting 15 in 2025-26.If France and Portugal navigate their respective groups without trouble this summer, the two could meet only in the final. Mbappe already has a World Cup winners' medal from 2018. Ronaldo doesn't. That adds a layer to everything between them that no LEGO set can quite capture.