The arrival of the captain of the France team in the Spanish capital was made official on Monday, two days after the Madrilenians’ 15th title in the Champions League.
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The open secret has ended. As expected for months, Kylian Mbappé has indeed signed up with Real Madrid, who formalized his recruitment for the next five seasons on Monday June 3. Seven years after his arrival at Paris Saint-Germain from AS Monaco, where he revealed himself to the world at the beginning of 2017, the captain of the Blues will begin a new chapter in his career.
But what does he actually have to gain on the other side of the Pyrenees, in a mechanism already oiled to the point of being crowned European champion once again, without him? “Even if Real will also benefit in terms of marketing-related revenues, we must not forget that Kylian needs Real more than the other way around”underlines Pablo Polo, journalist specializing in the Merengues for the Madrid sports daily. Marca.
He will make his dream come true
The photos of the French prodigy in his room in Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis), filled with posters of Cristiano Ronaldo with the Casa Blanca tunic on his back, gave a glimpse of this marriage from his adolescence. Since the age of 14, when he visited Real’s facilities, Kylian Mbappé had wanted to one day reach the Spanish capital. “He’s been a Real fan since he was little”confided his mother Fayza Lamari in 2013 to Parisianspecifying that he agreed to have his son participate in this course in Valdebebas “to please him.”
If he recently recalled his love for AC Milan on the Italian channel Sky, the 25-year-old striker was to join Real Madrid. That was the point of the story, just a matter of time. “If I had left this summer, it would have only been for Real Madrid“, he already explained in October 2021 to The Team, while he had announced to PSG his desire to leave the previous summer. Three years later, he just has to make this dream come true.
Getting closer to the C1 and the Ballon d’Or
By joining Real, Kylian Mbappé will fill the ranks of a team with a legendary winning culture. As evidenced by his last run in the Champions League crowned with a fifteenth European crown, his sixth over the decade. “This demonstrates great experience. It is certain that Mbappé has a better chance of obtaining this Champions League now”assures Philippe Montanier, who coached in La Liga, at Real Sociedad, from 2011 to 2013.
After failing to become the Parisian hero bringing back the first C1 to his city’s club, the Frenchman will be the leading figure of a team which claims its own succession on the continental scene, in addition to competing in no less than five other competitions next season.
Enough to also get closer to the Ballon d’or. Since 2009, only Lionel Messi has managed to win this award without wearing the Real jersey. The opportunity for “Kyks” to follow in the footsteps of the illustrious Raymond Kopa, Zinédine Zidane (who won it with Juventus) and Karim Benzema this year? Possible, for Montanier, “if France wins the Euro with a great Mbappé”even if the two favorites are Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. “I hope he wins a lot, Ballons d’or. In any case, what he does is fantastic. We follow and admire”estimated Zizou for his part, a year ago for Téléfoot.
(Re)conquer the hearts of Madrid fans… and French
Will come, will not come? The successive reversals surrounding the transfer of Kylian Mbappé have strained the Madrilenians in recent years. Particularly in 2022, when he extended two seasons with the Rouge et Bleu, at a time when everything seemed set for his arrival. Getting everyone to agree at the Santiago-Bernabéu will therefore be a challenge. Especially since the White House has just won the Champions League, with a locker room described as egoless. “The fans know that Kylian is one of the best players in the world, but they believe that he must earn his place. He will have to arrive at Real Madrid very humble. Here, the club comes before the players.” warns Pablo Polo.
While we wonder how Carlo Ancelotti will be able to associate Vinicius, Mbappé, Bellingham and possibly Rodrygo, the Habs could be seen as the grain of sand coming to seize up the machine if everything does not go as planned. Nothing to worry about Philippe Montanier. “Madrid fans love the Galacticos, they will need a little time.”
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Although he scored 44 goals with Paris last year, the 2018 world champion has appeared more behind in the game in recent months. The omnipresence of his news has tended to exasperate, when his performances tinged with a glaring lack of explosiveness have fueled criticism in France. To the point that the Bondynois was whistled by part of the public for his last match at the Parc des Princes, on May 12.
This departure could thus improve his relationship with the French public, who follow him less on a daily basis. “We will follow him from further away, but the media pressure in Spain is greatershade Philippe Montanier. There are three sports dailies, six local dailies… I remember that at Real Sociedad, we had a press conference every day even though we had the smallest budget.”
A new culture to gain experience
“It’s the life experience that counts, more than making money. Above all, I thirst for discoveries, travel, meeting players, different cultures.” In December 2021, Kylian Mbappé spoke for Paris Match his desire to discover something else. Spanish-speaking and English-speaking, he will therefore be exported abroad after having accomplished almost everything in France, like Michel Platini forty-two years before him, who left Saint-Etienne for Juventus. “Going abroad is always good. It’s another culture, especially in Spain, with a great quality of life”confirms Philippe Montanier.
“This year was a little less successful, but perhaps Mbappé needed this change, a new challenge to increase his motivation after seven years in Paris.”
Philippe Montanier, ex-coach of Real Sociedadat franceinfo: sport
An experience which, in addition to the human aspect, will also be able to enrich the player’s palette in a championship “more technical than Ligue 1”. While he seems predestined to take the role of number 9, which has not always succeeded in Paris as in the selection, Kylian Mbappé will have the opportunity to learn another facet of the game. All with “responsibilities and pressure” tenfold compared to other clubs, according to journalist Pablo Polo.