Real Madrid thought they can win everything without even running after signing Kylian Mbappe, claims ex-Los Blancos coach Jorge Valdano

Former Real Madrid manager Jorge Valdano has suggested that the club became complacent after securing the services of Kylian Mbappe last summer. The French forward arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) expired.

Mbappe enjoyed a tremendous start to life with the LaLiga champions, winning the UEFA Super Cup in his debut game. He has also lifted the FIFA Intercontinental Cup this season.

However, his presence hasn’t been enough to inspire the team in other tournaments. Carlo Ancelotti’s team lost the Supercopa de España final and the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona. They were knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal in the quarterfinals.

Speaking recently, as cited by Madrid Universal, Valdano insisted that Los Blancos should have hit a higher gear with Kylian Mbappe in the team.

“Real Madrid had just won the Champions League and La Liga, and had signed Mbappe, which should have given them a huge morale boost,” said Valdano.

He continued:

“But the impression is that they thought if they had won everything without Mbappe, then with him they could do it without even running.”

Valdano also pointed out that his former side lacked a proper midfield.

“Real Madrid has suffered a lot of ups and downs. Even in the month of April, they have not found a perfect midfield. That is the reality,” said Valdano.

Los Blancos are four points behind league leaders Barcelona, with five games left this season.

How many goals has Kylian Mbappe scored for Real Madrid this season?

Kylian Mbappe has enjoyed a stunning debut campaign with Real Madrid so far. The 26-year-old has scored 34 goals from 51 games across competitions this season, setting up five more.

Interestingly, Mbappe scored the first free-kick goal of his career in the Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut season record. CR7 managed 33 goals from 35 games during the 2009/10 campaign after arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu from Manchester United.

The French superstar will now have his eyes on Ivan Zamorano’s record for the best debut campaign in a Los Blancos shirt. The former Chilean striker scored 37 goals from 45 games in the 1992/93 campaign after joining Real Madrid from Sevilla. While Kylian Mbappe will be pleased with his efforts so far, the club’s lack of success could hurt his Ballon d’Or chances this year.

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Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written close to 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer’s Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina’s glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

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Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer