Real Madrid News
Former midfielder warns Real Madrid about Bayern Munich – ‘Never seen anything like it at this level’
Even as Real Madrid get set to take on RCD Mallorca in La Liga tomorrow, all eyes are on their subsequent fixture as they face Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
The Spanish capital giants host Vincent Kompany’s unstoppable team on Tuesday in the first leg of the quarterfinals before travelling to Germany for the second leg a week later.
Sami Khedira issues warning
Ahead of what is a highly-anticipated match-up between two of Europe’s biggest teams, former Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Sami Khedira had a word of warning for his ex-employers.
“They are a lethal team. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it at this level in Europe,” he told BILD (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
Highlighting the threat and quality that the German champions possess, the midfielder further added:
“If Bayern manage to play the ball behind the defence, Real Madrid will quickly find themselves in trouble as they try to get away from their markers. Bayern’s great strength lies in the precise passing of Kimmich, Pavlovic and Kane.”
Bayern Munich have already scored 97 goals in 27 games this season in the Bundesliga, where they have lost only one match (W22 D4).
In the Champions League, the Bavarians finished second in the league phase, with seven wins and one defeat from eight games, scoring 22 goals. In the Round of 16, they made light work of Atalanta securing an aggregate victory of 10-2.
Real Madrid, though, might go into the game with a boost as there are doubts over the availability of Bayern Munich goal machine Harry Kane for the game. Manager Kompany, though, remains optimistic about his availability.
Khedira on failed Bayern move
Meanwhile, Khedira, who played for Real Madrid from 2010 until 2015 before moving to Juventus, also revealed that he had previously been close to joining Bayern Munich.
“It was more talk than concrete negotiations,” he said about his failed move to Bayern, before admitting that “training with Pep Guardiola would certainly have been appealing.”
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar trails only Cristiano Ronaldo in reaching incredible milestone
Real Madrid signed Kylian Mbappe as a free agent a couple of summers ago after the expiry of his PSG contract.
Los Blancos signed the French superstar after trying to bring him to the Santiago Bernabeu for quite a few years by then.
The 27-year-old has continued to pile up remarkable numbers at the Spanish club over his two seasons there and has reached another major individual milestone for Madrid.
Mbappe has registered 100 direct goal contributions for Los Blancos after only 105 appearances, showcasing his incredible ability.
Mbappe joins Cristiano Ronaldo territory
According to Squawka, Mbappe’s first 105 matches for Madrid have produced an outstanding 89 goals and 11 assists.
Only one player in Madrid history has reached the same landmark in fewer appearances: Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese legend required just 86 games to record his first 100 goals and assists for the club.
Mbappe has reached the milestone at a lightning-fast pace, but he has still taken 19 appearances more than Ronaldo.
Considering the calibre of attacking players who have represented Real Madrid throughout their history, being second only to Cristiano is no mean feat for Mbappe.
Numbers have never been Mbappe’s problem
There has been plenty of scrutiny surrounding Mbappe since his move to Madrid, particularly because the club have not enjoyed the level of collective success expected during his first two seasons.
His individual production, however, has been extremely difficult to question.
Scoring 89 times across 105 appearances works out at almost 0.85 goals per game, even before his assists are considered.
Jose Mourinho’s arrival also appears to have given the Frenchman a fresh lease of life to establish himself as the undisputed leader of Madrid’s attack.
Mbappe has started the new campaign in excellent form and recently struck a hat-trick against Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He combined very well with both Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, with all three superstars combining for goals on the night.
The biggest challenge now for Mbappe is translating those numbers into major trophies and bringing silverware back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
