Carlo Ancelotti, manager of Real Madrid, has said that Kylian Mbappé, who scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 victory against Manchester City, "has the quality to reach Cristiano Ronaldo’s level." However, he also emphasized that Mbappé needs to "work hard" to achieve the remarkable records of the Portuguese legend.

"He has the quality to reach Cristiano Ronaldo’s level. He needs to work because Cristiano set the bar very high, and Mbappé is just starting here at this club. With his quality and ambition, he could reach Cristiano’s level, but it’s not going to be easy; he has to work," said Ancelotti in a press conference.

Team Balance and Confidence

Ancelotti praised the performance of his team in the tie against Manchester City, acknowledging that they’ve finally found the right balance between attack and defense. "We’re in the fight, we had a high-quality team in front of us, and it was difficult to find the balance between attack and defense. Now we’ve got it, and we have a good chance of going far in the competition," he remarked.

He also highlighted the improvement of the team on both ends of the pitch: "We’ve built on the positives from the first leg, had a complete game offensively and defensively, with and without the ball. The team has worked well without the ball, and the quality is very high. We now have attacking opportunities like we never did in past years," he added.

The Importance of a Strong Start and Adversity

Ancelotti admitted that the loss of Erling Haaland due to injury diminished Manchester City’s "attacking power" significantly. However, he pointed out how crucial it was for Real Madrid to start well: "We started well because we scored early and then controlled the game well. It took us ten matches to reach the knockout stages, and now Atlético de Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen are teams we respect a lot."

Ancelotti concluded by emphasizing the difficulty of the season due to the tight schedule and emotional pressure: "We’re on the right track, we’ve found the team’s level, but it’s been hard, and now we need to keep working to maintain this level and, if possible, improve it. We’re entering a tough period with La Liga, the Copa del Rey semifinals, and Champions League round of 16. There’s no way to stop. Emotionally, this tie has been good for us."

Finally, Ancelotti acknowledged that, despite the win, his critics will always be there: "It’s impossible because you can’t win every match, and when you slip up, people won’t stop talking, but that’s fine," he said.