Real Madrid News
Real Madrid legend praises in-form superstar: ‘He has the charisma of a leader’
Kylian Mbappe’s four goals against Olympiacos included one of the fastest hat-tricks in UEFA Champions League history, and once again showed why the player is currently one of the most in-form goalscorers on the planet.
The Frenchman has, after all, led from the front this season and has scored more than half of the team’s overall goals this season.
His form has him as the top scorer in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, with a sizeable lead on both fronts.
Former striker speaks
Real Madrid legend Hugo Sanchez spoke with Cadena SER in a recent interview where he was asked about Kylian Mbappe and the Frenchman’s stellar form.
He was first asked who was the best goalscorer in Real Madrid history and if Mbappe could be on that list, to which he said,
“Who is better? The great players and scorers would stand out at different times.”
He then praised Mbappe for his leadership and for taking responsibility in the team’s attack.
“Mbappe is in a tremendous moment, he is no longer as shy as he arrived. He has that charisma of a leader and is scoring like the Mbappe that all the people were waiting for.”
The club legend also spoke out on how being a centre-forward is going out of trend in recent times, hinting that they may be a dying species.
“It’s fashionable not to be a centre-forward. More and more are being incorporated from the wing, as Cristiano Ronaldo did.”
“Mbappe is one of those modern forwards who are seen more and more, because there are fewer ‘post forwards’, perhaps Lewandowski is one of the exceptions,” he added on the current state of affairs.
Finally, the Mexican legend gave his thoughts on how football has shifted from individual brilliance to collective effort and what that has done to the game.
“In today’s football, you have to help defend and make them [opponents] uncomfortable in your own way. I remember that I constantly pressured the goalkeepers to get nervous.”
With the international break done and dusted, Real Madrid will be back in action this weekend in La Liga, where they will be looking to catch up to league leaders FC Barcelona.
Coming up for Jose Mourinho & co., who lost their last game before the international break, will be a home game against Villarreal on Saturday.
And, leading up to the game, the Spanish capital club have received welcome news on the injury front.
Mbappe back in group training
Indeed, as per MARCA, Kylian Mbappe will be available for Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Having been training individually so far this week, the France captain rejoined group training under Mourinho today, taking a concrete step forward towards making himself available for the game.
The forward looked relaxed and ready to work, putting his boots back on and joining the group as Real Madrid prepare for a demanding run of fixtures throughout October.
And, unless there is any unforeseen setback, everything suggests that Mbappe will be ready to start against the Yellow Submarine come Saturday.
Under scrutiny
The past few weeks have been nothing short of eventful for Mbappe, with his every action and movement under heavy scrutiny.
Playing for France, in Zinedine Zidane’s managerial debut, the 27-year-old superstar scored a goal before asking for a substitution due to a knee injury.
Having flown back to Madrid, he underwent tests, which confirmed the injury, although it was not as serious as was initially feared.
The forward then took week-long holiday with his partner that sparked some debate among supporters and attracted criticism from multiple quarters.
Mbappe returned to Madrid on Monday and participated in individual sessions at Valdebebas over the past couple of days. Now he has resumed normal training with his teammates.
There had been doubts over whether Mbappe would be able to face Villarreal after he picked up the injury on 25 September.
However, the recovery plan followed by the forward appears to have worked, and he is now expected to be in a fully fit condition for Saturday’s match.
