Mbappé Picks Dembélé, Zidane and Messi in Instagram Game, Plays the Joker on Messi vs. Cristiano

They cornered him with names and faces, no way out: Benzema or Dembélé, Ronaldinho or Ronaldo, Messi or Cristiano. Kylian Mbappé joined the classic "pick one" game that circulates on Instagram, designed to force a star to commit to a single name among soccer legends, and ended up delivering a series of answers that are already making the rounds online.

The format is simple and, at the same time, brutal: you're given two players, you pick one, and that "winner" comes back to face a new rival. Round after round, until there are no options left. Mbappé started off decisive. Between Karim Benzema and Ousmane Dembélé, he went with Dembélé. Then he stuck with him against Rodri. And when Luka Modric came up next, he hesitated, letting out an "uh..." that gave away the bind he was in, but he stuck with his countryman again.

That's when the first big twist arrived: Dembélé against Ronaldinho. Laughing, Mbappé said "Sorry, Ousmane" and went with the Brazilian. From there, Ronaldinho faced off against Ronaldo Nazário and lost. Ronaldo also got past Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini without much hesitation from the Frenchman.

The real dilemma came when they put Ronaldo up against Zinedine Zidane: he picked the 1998 World Cup winner. But when Zidane came up against Lionel Messi, Mbappé didn't think twice and went with the Argentine. The inevitable question came at the end: Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo. That's when the forward laughed, threw up his hands in surrender and played the card everyone reaches for when a choice is simply impossible.

Uh, Joker... I'll pass, that's fine.Kylian Mbappé

Neither Messi nor Cristiano. He chose not to settle the most famous divide in recent soccer and used his joker instead, something almost anyone in his shoes would probably have done.

Mbappé's other obsession: trophies with Real Madrid

Beyond the game, Mbappé, 27, is starting the season with one fixed idea that he's repeated in various interviews with the club's official media since the World Cup: winning. He made that clear as soon as he settled back in at the Santiago Bernabéu, now under the orders of Jose Mourinho.

Especially at Real Madrid, you have to win titles, and that's why I'm here.Kylian Mbappé

The Frenchman went further, addressing the responsibility he feels after two seasons without the kind of silverware this club is used to. "Now is the time to step up and win titles," he explained, making clear that collective ambition outweighs any individual recognition, including the Ballon d'Or that has still eluded him. With the Champions League once again the big target, the video from the game ended up being, without meaning to, a snapshot of how Mbappé thinks about soccer: laughing his way through Instagram, but with his mind set on lifting trophies with Real Madrid.