“This is Real Madrid” - Mbappé issues clear message

Real Madrid look like a different team. You don’t need to be a footballing genius to see it. Whether it’s the jeers from the Bernabéu after the Copa del Rey debacle or the arrival of Álvaro Arbeloa, the point is that the Madrid side are starting to show traits that had been missing for some time – above all intensity and commitment rather than quality, the latter something you already take for granted from a Real Madrid player.

That improvement was perfectly summed up by the team’s biggest star on social media. Kylian Mbappé, scorer of both goals at La Cerámica, made it clear from his post-match words that he was more than satisfied not just with his own performance but with that of his teammates as well, and with the collective display against Villarreal. “This is Real Madrid,” wrote the French forward, a message that was met with broad backing from within the squad. One reply stood out above the rest – from Vinicius: “On to more.” This team is still hungry.

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