Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid start: Low profile, finding his place, ‘totally different’ to Cristiano Ronaldo
Long before his move to Real Madrid was made official, there was debate around Kylian Mbappe’s potential arrival: how would he fit in at the Santiago Bernabeu?
That was not just a question for fans and the media. It informed talks within the board and was a factor in meetings in December and January that led to the decision to make a final push for the French forward, then of Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe achieved his dream of becoming a Madrid player this summer, joining on a free transfer after his contract in Paris expired with a reported signing-on fee of around €100million (£84m/$111m at current exchange rates). But it has not been all plain sailing since then.
The 25-year-old scored and lifted a trophy on his Madrid debut, a 2-0 win for the Champions League winners against Europa League counterparts Atalanta from Italy in the UEFA Super Cup in mid-August. But it took him almost four games to open his account in La Liga — a wait he ended with a second-half double against Real Betis in Madrid’s final match before this international break.
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Off the pitch, there was the strange case of his X account being hacked to post messages including one appearing to promote a cryptocurrency with his name and another disparaging Lionel Messi.
“Has it been as idyllic as reported? No, but it hasn’t been a tragedy or something to worry about either,” a source at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — told The Athletic.
“It’s as you would expect: an adaptation to a team that has changed a lot and in which he has to find his place. And he is finding it.”
Here, we tell the story of Mbappe’s first few months at the Santiago Bernabeu — from the impression he has made in the dressing room to the tweaks the coaching staff are working on with him.
Mbappe’s unveiling on July 16 was as grand as you would expect for a transfer so long in the making.
The France captain was presented in front of 80,000 fans at the Bernabeu. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti and his staff were following on TV at the Valdebebas training ground while figures such as the legendary former Madrid striker Raul and former right-back Alvaro Arbeloa, who were there in person, were impressed by the atmosphere. Mbappe’s mother Fayza Lamari and father Wilfried were clearly struck by their son’s reception, too.
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Mbappe made all the right noises afterwards when he met some of his team-mates face-to-face, as well as Ancelotti. Coaching staff sources told The Athletic he smiled a lot and struck them as an “intelligent boy”.
At his first press conference, he spoke excellent Spanish and showed a self-confidence that was remarked upon by many of the 400 journalists in attendance and also by fans on social media.
“I thought he would have a lot more ego, but it hasn’t been like that,” a Valdebebas source said. “Here we had Cristiano (Ronaldo), one of those players with global superstar status, but Kylian’s character is totally different to Cris.”
“I only heard that he is completely normal and not arrogant or anything — which is already news, I would say,” said another source close to a Madrid first-team player.
Mbappe in training in August (Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)
That has been reflected in Mbappe’s dealings with the club’s academy players, one of whom told The Athletic about his interactions with the Frenchman. “On the first day, he asked me what my name was and gave me his vision of how we could combine with the ball,” the player says. “To have someone like Mbappe approach you showing interest, and then be there during the session surprised me a little bit. For now, he treats everyone the same, even if you’re not in the first team.”
There was also a nice touch when the promising teenage centre-back Joan Martinez suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury in a first-team training session. Mbappe sent him a message wishing him a speedy recovery, adding that they would soon be playing together.
In the senior dressing room, he is closest to fellow Frenchmen Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ferland Mendy and has become friends with Brahim Diaz. He went for dinner with the Morocco winger last month at the high-end Aarde restaurant, located near Madrid’s iconic Retiro park and Puerta de Alcala roundabout.
That was notable for being one of Mbappe’s few public appearances in town since he joined. While team-mates such as Jude Bellingham have been seen out and about, he has kept an extremely low profile. He lives in La Finca, an exclusive neighbourhood to the west of the city, with reports in Spain suggesting his mother has bought a house there too.
Mbappe’s debut in that Super Cup against Atalanta was impressive, with a well-taken finish in the 68th minute followed by his trademark celebration — which was copied by new team-mates Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Vinicius Jr celebrates with Mbappe after his first goal (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
But the start of La Liga did not go to plan. Mbappe struggled in a frustrating opening-weekend draw against Real Mallorca and the following weekend’s 3-0 win against Valladolid, with Madrid’s attack failing to click and he and Vinicius Jr often occupying the same positions on the left.
“He’s progressing very well — every day I see him getting better, excited, eager, training well and being very humble,” Ancelotti told reporters before the third game, away against Las Palmas. “His last goal was on August 14, today is the 28th. It’s only two weeks: not enough time for us or him to worry.”
But that trip to the Canary Islands proved to be another tricky match for Mbappe. He again failed to score in a 1-1 draw and could even be seen showing his disapproval at some of Vinicius Jr’s decision-making.
That performance was on the same day his X account was hacked, with posts sent to his more than 14 million followers about the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi debate, cryptocurrency and the Israel-Gaza war. The posts were deleted and, when contacted by The Athletic, the player’s entourage said the problem had been solved quickly and that they would not be making any statement.
Leaving for the international break without a goal in La Liga in four games would have been strange for Mbappe, PSG’s record scorer with 256 goals in 308 games. According to data provider Opta, he’d taken 24 shots — eight on target, six wide and 10 blocked — by the time he swept home his first effort in the 67th minute against Betis after a fine Federico Valverde backheel. He then fired home a 76th-minute penalty won by Vinicius Jr, with the Brazilian giving him the ball so he could take the spot kick.
Mbappe scores his first La Liga goal against Betis (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)
“Three games (without scoring) for many people is not a lot, but for me it is a lot, and the people at the club, the players and the fans have always been with me,” Mbappe told reporters afterwards in the Bernabeu’s mixed zone.
Mbappe has started out playing through the middle as a No 9 in Ancelotti’s 4-3-3 system, with Vinicius Jr on the left. The manager is well aware of the debate about whether the Frenchman is at his most effective as a central striker but told the media before his team faced Betis just over a week ago there will be no change of roles.
Coaching-staff sources compare Mbappe to countryman and Madrid predecessor Karim Benzema, in that they say he does not press high without the ball. Ancelotti and Co are working with him on his ability to track back and then exploit space. They consider him to be a No 9 who can attack spaces like “no one else in the world” and who is “capable of pinning the centre-backs and scoring with one touch with ease”.
Support from Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr should help — the latter showed an improvement in the coaches’ physical data from the Betis game. Time will also help Mbappe to forge a greater understanding with his new team-mates, who have to adapt to his arrival and look to find him more in games, according to voices within the club.
Mbappe was characteristically calm as he spoke to reporters at France’s training camp before their Nations League fixtures against Italy on Friday and Belgium last night (Monday). “I’m very happy, everything is working very well at Real Madrid,” he said.
The same is true of those at Valdebebas.
“He hasn’t landed on his feet, but he’s trying everything,” a source said.
(Top photo: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
