After seven long years and two years of confusion and complications, the transfer finally came through. Kylian Mbappe was welcomed in a celebratory galore in front of 80,000+ fans with Real Madrid tickets at the Bernabeu.
It was all that the youngster dreamt about.
Weeks later, Kylian Mbappe made his dream debut in the white jersey in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta, scoring his first goal for the club in that tournament.
The fans who were present on the day with Real Madrid tickets to see the superstar’s first game were ecstatic. It was a fairytale moment in a symphony.
Fast-forward to the start of the La Liga; the fans are excited to see this tale continue.
Mbappe’s Start at Madrid
Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid debut may have seen him score and lift a UEFA Super Cup, but French critics were less than impressed by him.
Scoring in Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup final at the National Stadium Warsaw won’t shield Mbappe from French media critique—some naming him ‘slow and lazy’ despite Real Madrid securing a maiden 2024/25 trophy under coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Federico Valverde broke the ice in the 59th minute with a tap-in, thanks to Vinicius Junior’s superb handling of Atalanta’s packed defence.
Shortly after, on the 68th-minute mark, Mbappe capitalized on a pass from Jude Bellingham, drilling the ball into the top right corner and doubling the lead for Los Blancos. Reports from France were harsh post-match, with a RMC Decouverte journalist complaining: “Mbappe has been in line with what he has done in recent games with France, quite slow and lazy, with the difficulties he has playing as a number nine.”
Another chimed in during the evening talk show: “He had the goodwill. He tried to move in the attacking front. Although less inspired, he scored his first goal, which will go down in history with Real Madrid.” Adding to the critiquing voices, a Canal+ France journalist said: “I saw him not being able to connect with his teammates, and he has to find those connections.
“He has to make more movements, and they will come.” They added: “It is a good goal because of the connection with his teammates. He has not been brilliant, but he has scored in his first game, so he is relieved. Once again, the most important thing for an attacker is to score.”
L’Equipe TV complained: “Mbappe scored a good goal, and it is a dream to play for Madrid. The coach puts you in at the first opportunity, and you score. It is more important to score in the first game because of the media, rather than having a good game because Mbappe didn’t play a good game.”
The Spanish press, however, praised Mbappe for his performance. Football expert Frederic Hermel argued, “He is very intelligent; he knows what he has to do.
He knows that Real is a much bigger club than him, and that was not necessarily the case when he was in his previous clubs, he understood that the institution is bigger than all the players.”
Mbappe himself, reflecting on the match to Canal+, added: “I imagined it in many ways (the evening), but starting with a title… Just playing for this club, everyone knows what that means to me. It’s incredible, and the atmosphere is magical. When you say Real Madrid, you say titles, it’s essential.”
After a stellar rise at Monaco, Mbappe’s journey took him to Paris in a blockbuster £165million transfer back in 2018.
His impressive haul with PSG includes:
- Six league titles.
- Four Coup de France crowns.
- Three Trophee des Champions
He racked up a formidable record of 256 goals in 308 appearances for the club before signing a free transfer to Real Madrid after the 2023/24 season.
There is a lot To Talk After Real Madrid Opener
Real Madrid began their title defence with a 1-1 draw at Mallorca as the excitement over Kylian Mbappe’s La Liga debut fell flat.
Following Rodrygo’s opening goal in the first half, the home side rallied and equalized shortly after the break when Vedat Muriqi’s powerful header found the net from a corner.
Madrid had the majority of possession and created several chances. Still, their frustrations were summed up by Ferland Mendy’s late challenge on Muriqi — the left-back was shown a straight red card for a wild tackle on the Kosovo striker in stoppage time.
Madrid’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, described the result as “correct, ” adding: “We can learn a lot from this game.”
Mbappe’s Involvement
It was only natural that all eyes were on Mbappe again.
Several thousand fans with Real Madrid tickets came to the Bernabeu to see the Frenchman’s La Liga debut.
As for Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw, when he scored on his first Madrid appearance as Atalanta were beaten 2-0, he featured prominently on the stadium’s big screens before kick-off.
The Mallorca fans were more curious than they were hostile. Perhaps a nice gesture from Madrid’s star signing played a part, with the Frenchman asking police officers to let a kid with his jersey approach him for an autograph.
Performing a personal ritual, Mbappe stood alone in the centre of the pitch for a few moments before the game started. What awaited him was a disappointment similar to that suffered by David Beckham (a 2-1 defeat in the 2003 Supercopa de Espana first leg) and Jose Mourinho (a 0-0 draw in La Liga in 2010) in their first games with Madrid — both also away to Mallorca.
Taking up positions in the centre and on the left of the attack, Mbappe was heavily involved in Madrid’s play but lacked a little precision at times—something normal for the time of the season and given that he is still settling.
His most ‘Mbappe-esque’ action was a run from his own half, which received rising appreciation from the stands and resulted in a penalty appeal that was turned down in the sixth minute.
He had chances to score but was denied twice by Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif in the second half. This drew grimaces of frustration from Mbappe and huge cheers from the home crowd, who were by then fully convinced he and Madrid could be stopped.
It felt different at the time — coming as it did during a spell of total Madrid dominance — but one move in the 36th minute summed up Madrid’s night.
Several brilliant connections between Rodrygo, Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior (including two backheels) ended up with a dinked cross for Mbappe to finish from the left. Still, Greif could divert it away from the waiting striker.
It was very nice, but nothing came of it, but all with Real Madrid tickets know this is just the start. They will wait patiently.
