Exactly 100 days ago, Kylian Mbappé was presented at the Bernabéu. The opportunity for the media Marca to take stock.
One hundred days is a period of time considered as a reference point for making the first assessment. Because if the Frenchman launched his blank adventure with a title won and a goal scored in this Super Cup final, the following weeks were not as idyllic.
Real’s disappointing debut in La Liga is no stranger to this, with Mbappé in the spotlight, who failed to find the net. The Frenchman failed to score a single goal in the first three matches, which coincided with two missteps by Ancelotti’s side, namely draws against Mallorca and Las Palmas. Kylian closes the month of August with one goal in four games, a title and a poor start to the season in the league which sees them come back to within four points of FC Barcelona.
The month of September is off to a flying start for Mbappé, who is hitting his stride. On the fourth day, he scored his first goal at the Bernabéu and in La Liga against Betis. A double which puts an end to the bad dynamic in one fell swoop. After the break, during which he was present with the French team, Mbappé continued his good form and signed his best series of goals: five consecutive games to score (Betis, Real Sociedad, Stuttgart, Espanyol and Alavés) and six goals . Mbappé led the white attack and was the madridista Pichichi (Madrid’s top scorer).
But it was in this good moment that he suffered a muscle injury which ended his streak and forced him to miss the derby against Atlético. His reappearance on the bench during the following match against Lille, on October 2, cast doubt on his recovery and he was unable to avoid Madrid’s first defeat of the season. This is why he decided not to participate in the October international break, although he started the previous match against Villarreal. His absence was not well received in France and was punctuated by his controversial escapade in Stockholm, which ended with the player being implicated by the Swedish press in an investigation into an alleged rape.
This is the starting point of difficult last weeks for Mbappé. While it’s true that he played a part in scoring a great goal in Madrid’s win over Celta de Vigo, he subsequently disappeared from the radar. He tiptoed through a comeback against Dortmund in the Champions League where Vinicius reigned supreme with his hat-trick and received his first criticism after Real’s painful defeats to Barcelona and Milan.
The team’s reaction against Osasuna (0-4 victory) also came without the Frenchman’s goals, which saw Vinicius repeat his hat-trick to consolidate his place as the team’s top scorer. Between the two, Madrid’s absence from the Ballon d’Or gala was also criticized. Finally, there was the final blow of his unexpected absence from the final list of the French team due to a technical decision. Deschamps had to do without his captain, which further aggravated the tense situation within the national team.
In the Real Madrid offices, no worries: “We are calm, we know that he is a crack”, they assure, aware that the striker’s performances are the subject of a certain agitation. Nothing is further from the vision we have internally of Kylian. Because those who come into contact with him on a daily basis have no doubt about his spectacular potential. On the other hand, on stage, he has not yet broken through, but in the intimacy of rehearsals in Valdebebas, there is no doubt: “He is an extraordinary player”, they say.
During this truce, Kylian Mbappé took refuge in Valdebebas to continue working in order to find the lost spark. Ancelotti is waiting for him with open arms because he needs his star to overcome all the “finals” that wait until the end of the year. Mbappé has the power to do it and turn things around after a first 100 days which left Madridistas a little wary for some, even annoyed for others…
