‘Troubled’ Mbappé following in Messi’s Champions League footsteps

It’s not been the smoothest of starts in the Spanish capital for Kylian Mbappé. But the summer signing emerged as one of the heroes on Tuesday, leading Real Madrid to a narrow victory over an Atalanta side unbeaten in this season’s revamped UEFA Champions League format.

Unfortunately for Carlo Ancelotti and the French forward, Mbappé had to be substituted in the 35th minute. “It doesn’t seem serious, but he couldn’t sprint because it was bothering him a little. So, we preferred to take him off. We’ll see tomorrow,” commented the Italian coach during the post-match press conference.

The good news for Madrid was that they desperately needed the win, and their star-studded trio delivered on the scoresheet. Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior – just back from injury – and Jude Bellingham, who has rediscovered his scoring form, all found the net. Three crucial points in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

With this victory, Los Blancos climbed to 18th place in the standings, tallying nine points from three wins and three losses. Meanwhile, Atalanta, the current leader of Serie A and previously undefeated in the Champions League, suffered their first loss of the season and remain on 11 points.

Mbappé following Messi

With his goal in the 10th minute, Mbappé reached 50 goals in 79 UEFA Champions League appearances, matching the record of his compatriot Thierry Henry. Only Ruud van Nistelrooy (62 matches), Robert Lewandowski (77 matches), and Lionel Messi (66 matches) reached the milestone in fewer games.

At just 25 years, 11 months, and 20 days old, Mbappé becomes the second-youngest player in history to score 50 goals in the Champions League, behind only Lionel Messi, who achieved it at 24 years and 284 days old with Barcelona.

Now, the French striker aims to further solidify his legacy in the tournament, which he has yet to win in his career. He is determined to achieve this feat with the team that holds the record for the most Champions League titles. Although this new chapter has presented its challenges, Mbappé is gradually responding with goals and standout performances.

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