Kylian Mbappé knew what he was letting himself in for when completing a move to Real Madrid that had been speculated on for some time.
The World Cup winner had several years to mull over what becoming another ‘Galáctico’ at Santiago Bernabéu would mean.
He will also have been aware of who he would be playing alongside in the Spanish capital and what that would mean for his immediate future.
Mbappé still made the decision to bid farewell to a professional comfort zone in Paris and try his luck under the brightest of spotlights.
Nothing but the best is accepted in Madrid – trophies are demanded, especially those handed out when conquering European football.
Dominance
MBAPPÉ IS HERE. #LALIGAEASPORTS pic.twitter.com/p4b8OUSKnx
— LALIGA (@LaLiga) September 1, 2024
At present, Champions League betting has Real Madrid priced at 6/1 to successfully defend a crown that they captured for the 15th time in 2024.
Mbappé is expected to lead another quest for continental dominance, with Champions League winner odds weighted in favour of those that boast the most star-studded of squads.
Plenty have already questioned whether he is a piece that slots seamlessly into an elaborate jigsaw or one that is very much out of place.
Adjusting to life as a central striker is proving difficult for a man who forged his reputation in a role on the left flank.
He was, however, handed the No.9 shirt when arriving in Madrid – a jersey once worn by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo – and is having to learn quickly on the job.
Karim Benzema is another former ‘nine’ on Real’s books and has said of his fellow Frenchman learning the nuances of a new role: “Mbappé has to get it into his head that he has to be a nine and forget about the left. He’s been very good on the left, and now he has to be good somewhere else.”
The man himself appears to be up for the challenge, at least when speaking in public and has responded to those who have been quick to write him off by saying: “This has been the story of my career: right, left, centre—it doesn’t matter. I just want to play well, help the team, and score a lot of goals.”
It is worth noting that Benzema found the target on just nine occasions during his debut season with the Blancos before leaving 13 years later with 354 and a Ballon d’Or to his name.
It would appear that time is all that Mbappé to become good.
Remit
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ SCORES HIS FIRST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOAL FOR REAL MADRID ♨️ pic.twitter.com/p9IiRRIP02
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 17, 2024
He has presented as something of a tactical poser, with the Frenchman not being a natural fit for the position that he is being asked to fill.
Having grown accustomed to collecting possession side-on, with space in behind for his electric pace to run into, he now sees more of the ball with his back to goal or chasing passes down narrow corridors.
Mbappé is not involved as much as he once was either, with his remit now to seek out chances rather than create them.
Fewer touches can lead to frustration, as he drops deep or wide in search of the ball, but Carlo Ancelotti and Co. need him to do the job that is being requested.
Who knows, maybe future transfer windows will deliver deals that allow Mbappé to return to a more comfortable berth, or maybe – like Ronaldo and Thierry Henry before him – he will be transformed from a fleet-footed winger into one of the most fearsome frontmen on the planet.
