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Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid, Champions League
Jack Kenmare
Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid, Champions League
Real Madrid pair Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior have previously named the toughest opponents of their careers – and they couldn't be more different.
With the help of Mbappe and Vinicius, Los Blancos will be hoping to defend their European crown on Wednesday night when they come up against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16.
Carlo Ancelotti's side come into the much-anticipated clash with a slender one goal advantage after goals from Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz sealed a dramatic 2-1 win in the first leg.
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They face tough opposition at the Metropolitano, with the likes of Jan Oblak, Clement Lenglet and Marcos Llorente featuring for Los Colchoneros alongside Rodrigo De Paul and Conor Gallagher.
But of course, Mbappe and Vinicius Junior are familiar with coming up against some of the world's best for club and country. So who are their toughest EVER opponents?
In the past, Mbappe has named former Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon as the toughest opponent of his career so far.
Buffon, who retired from football in 2023 at the age of 45, clearly made life difficult for the Frenchman.
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"For me it is Buffon," Mbappe said in an interview with Eurosport, as per Telegrafi. "While I was playing in Monaco, in 2017 in the Champions League we faced Juventus, Gianluigi didn't allow me any space in his goal."
Speaking in 2023 following an El Clasico clash, Vinicius identified Barcelona's Ronald Araujo as his toughest opponent.
"The best defender I have ever faced is Araujo. He's very strong and very good. That's why he plays for Barca," Vinicius said, as per SPORT.
Araujo has developed into a solid defender since joining Barcelona from Uruguayan club Boston River in 2018, and has gone on to make over 150 appearances for the Catalan club.
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Vinicius has previously named two England internationals as two other tough opponents.
Speaking to SPORTbible in 2022, he said: "I've played against a lot of them and the most difficult opponents were Chelsea's [Reece] James and [Kyle] Walker, of Manchester City."