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.
One of the biggest summer transfer stories surrounding Real Madrid was whether Vinicius Junior would sign a new contract with the club.
The Brazilian and Los Blancos had been in negotiations for a long time without any breakthrough, but Vinicius eventually put pen to paper on a new deal.
Now, according to Diario AS, the 26-year-old appears to be entering a new phase of his Real Madrid career, one in which the Brazilian is no longer the protagonist.
Vinicius has accepted that his status within the team has changed under new manager Jose Mourinho.
Vinicius accepts changing role at Real Madrid
For several seasons, Vinicius was the central figure in Real Madrid’s attack. However, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham are now considered the two leading figures in Mourinho’s new project.
Their performances at the beginning of the season have reinforced that hierarchy.
Bellingham scored against Espanyol before producing two assists and an outstanding all-round display against Real Sociedad.
Mbappe, meanwhile, opened his account for the campaign by scoring a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Vinicius understands the situation and had already accepted his changing role when agreeing his new contract.
Rather than competing with Mbappe or Bellingham for individual prominence, the Brazilian’s focus is now said to be on rediscovering his own best level.
Mourinho working to rebuild Vinicius
That process remains important because the relationship between Vinicius and sections of the Bernabeu crowd has become strained.
There were whistles for the winger during Wednesday’s game after some unsuccessful actions, continuing a trend that emerged during Madrid’s disappointing previous campaign.
However, the mood changed dramatically.
Vinicius eventually contributed a goal and an assist, with the whistles replaced by applause as his performance improved.
Mourinho recognised the opportunity and substituted the Brazilian shortly after his goal, later explaining that he wanted Vinicius to leave the pitch while feeling the supporters’ affection.
He is also said to be having many one-on-one conversations with the 26-year-old, unlike how he is treating Mbappe.
It was a small but calculated piece of man-management from the Portuguese coach.
A reset could benefit everyone
Jose Mourinho understands that Madrid’s ceiling becomes significantly higher if he can restore Vinicius to his devastating best.
Not being asked to lead the project and be the face of everything may actually act as a blessing in disguise for the Brazilian.
Mbappe can shoulder much of the goalscoring responsibility, while Bellingham has been given a central creative role.
Vinicius can therefore concentrate on what made him so dangerous in the first place: attacking defenders, creating chaos from the left and being unpredictable.
It seems like Madrid have a clear plan with Vinicius, and it remains to be seen whether Mourinho recovers the Brazilian’s best version this upcoming season.
