Mbappe dispels doubts before Champions clash

MADRID — Just when it seemed the pressure of a lifelong dream switch to Real Madrid might prove too great for Kylian Mbappe to overcome, the French superstar silenced his doubters.

After a troubled start to life at Madrid, Mbappe finally seems at home and ready to wreak havoc both in Spain and in Europe.

Mbappe's rediscovered elan comes at the perfect time for Real Madrid with two crucial Champions League matches ahead, starting with Red Bull Salzburg's visit to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Madrid then faces Brest on the road next week, aiming to secure progress to the next phase of the competition.

It would be unthinkable for the holder and record 15-time European champion to suffer an early knockout, but after a poor start it is presently 20th in the 36-team group, with the bottom 12 teams eliminated.

Madrid lost at Liverpool, with Mbappe missing a penalty, as well as against AC Milan at home and away at Lille.

Shortly after the defeat at Anfield, Mbappe missed another spot kick in a La Liga defeat by Athletic Bilbao and it proved a turning point for the France captain.

"A big mistake in a match where every detail counts, I take full responsibility for it," said Mbappe in a post on social media platform Instagram.

"It's the best time to change this situation and show who I am."

Since pledging to turn things around, Mbappe has scored eight goals in 10 games for Madrid across all competitions, including a stunning solo effort against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Mbappe also struck as Madrid won the Intercontinental Cup against Pachuca in December, but beyond the goals, he now looks every part the devastating, world-beating talent club president Florentino Perez hoped for.

'Moves only he can make'

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has been patient with Mbappe, often defending the forward and insisting he needed time to adapt to life in the Spanish capital and gel with his new teammates.

The Italian also stuck by his guns with regard to Mbappe's positioning, insisting from the start of the season the French hitman should play down the middle, leaving Vinicius Jr to stay on the left flank in his preferred role.

Mbappe and Vinicius struggled to gel, at times occupying the same spaces on the pitch.

The team's 4-0 Clasico humbling by bitter rival Barcelona in October was a particularly disappointing moment for Mbappe, who was caught offside numerous times in the match by the Catalans' high defensive line.

Left out of the national team squads for Nations League matches at the time by coach Didier Deschamps and battling with former employers Paris Saint-Germain over unpaid income, Mbappe seemed weighed down and overwhelmed.

Ancelotti persisted with the striker and said at the end of December Mbappe had bedded in and, after a thigh injury, was now ready to perform at his best.

"His (adaptation) period, which he obviously needed, because everyone needs it, is over," said the coach.

"Where does Mbappe have to improve? Just in consistency... trying to make the moves that only he can make, as often as possible."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ancelotti, a record five-time European Cup winner as a coach, was right.

Mbappe's skill and speed have made him unstoppable in recent weeks and the 26-year-old looks increasingly confident in himself with every passing match.

"The Bilbao game was good for me, I hit the bottom... and it was a moment to realize that I have to give everything for this shirt and show my personality," said Mbappe at the end of 2024.

Mbappe produced arguably his finest display for Madrid as he netted a brace against Las Palmas on Sunday to help take Real to the top of La Liga.

"I have adapted to the team and I can play how I want, with my teammates, with personality," he said after the game.

Vinicius was suspended against Las Palmas but will return in the Champions League, and he and Mbappe must continue developing their partnership.

If Madrid's dynamic duo can find the same wavelength it will be ready to defend its status as the king of Europe.

AFP