REAL MADRID
Luis Enrique pushes Kylian Mbappé towards a future at Real Madrid
The slow start to PSG’s season, added to the departures of Neymar and Messi, has put Mbappé's future in the spotlight once again.
“I think it’s the right moment to take on more responsibility. I might be happy in Paris, but maybe somewhere else with a new project.” Those were the words from Kylian Mbappé in May 2019.
He was picking up the award for the best player in Ligue 1 after a season in which PSG had won their sixth league titles in seven years but collapsed tragically against Manchester United in the Champions League.
Every alarm was raised when Mbappé spoke as his words were, in the end, interpreted as a way to squeeze more out of the club and raise his status in the team. With the exit of Messi and Neymar, he is now the undisputed leader of the team, but somehow things remain the same.
PSG are not satisfying Mbappé's dreams
Luis Enrique’s start to his time at the Parc de Princes has been hugely erratic. The team has not found their groove in the league with three wins, three draws and one loss in seven games so far.
They sit fifth in the table, outside of the Champions League places and the situation is just as grey on the continent: dropped in the Group of Death, they have just had to swallow their second-heaviest defeat in their UCL history against Newcastle in the ‘Middle-Eastern-Owners derby’.
As for things on an individual level, Kylian Mbappé is showing his worth. He is top of the scoring charts in France with 7 goals in 6 and has scored 50% of PSG’s goals. He scored against Dortmund in the first Champions League group game but his impact is not quite there.
His performance against Newcastle, for example, was heavily criticised, with L’Équipe saying “his first half was very disappointing... maybe because the passes did not reach him, he looked for them too deep, a bit like an organiser that he is not, but he didn’t offer many solutions.”
Madrid are no longer thinking about Mbappé... for now
Where there is a new project, smiles and sunshine is the Santiago Bernabéu. A new Galático era is underway and the desperation for Kylian to be a part of it has titled towards indifference, with Jude Bellingham the name on everyone’s lips.
The never-ending story of Mbappé, like it or not, will be back in 2024 when his multi-million euro contract ends. If the season continues on the same depressing track for Luis Enrique’s side, incapable of satisfying Kylian’s sporting demands, the bells will start to chime as the Madrid links emerge again.
But if his transfer finally happens this time, he will have to fight not just to conquer the hearts of the Madridistas, but to share the love with those the fans already adore.
