In the FIFA Club World Cup final, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Bellingham created a perfect combination, scoring to help Real Madrid take the lead over Pachuca. In just 5 seconds, 7 touches and 2 passes, the trio showed their understanding and class.
Bellingham was the initiator when he sent a sharp pass to Vinicius. The Brazilian striker then skillfully dribbled past the opposing goalkeeper before assisting Mbappe to score. This is the image that president Florentino Perez envisioned when building the new Galacticos squad with the appearance of Mbappe last summer.
Real Madrid have been chasing Mbappe for about 6 years and finally reached a free transfer deal when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain ended. Despite the huge cost of a salary of around €15 million a season and a €100 million signing bonus, president Perez has determined to make the deal.
Los Blancos are considering raising the salaries of Bellingham and Vinicius Jr to match this level. This is similar to what they did in the Galacticos 1.0 era two decades ago with Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Raul. Currently, Vinicius and Bellingham are reported to have a net income of around €10 million/season.
With the arrival of Mbappe, along with Vinicius Jr and Bellingham, Real Madrid hopes to create a harmful attacking trio, continuing the legacy that Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema have left in the Galacticos 2.0 era.
Despite being considered a complete player, Mbappe's start at Real Madrid has not been smooth. Difficulties in integrating into Carlo Ancelotti's system have prevented him from reaching his peak form. The French superstar has encountered a series of goalscoringless matches at the beginning of the season and also missed a number of important penalties.
However, the 2018 World Cup champion has maintained a positive attitude, determined to improve and try to create the best foundation for himself in Madrid. The 26-year-old striker is the captain of the French national team but asked for permission to be absent from FIFA Days in September. Mbappe felt he needed time to rest after a busy year and the turmoil at his new club.
In contrast to Mbappe, Vinicius Jr has maintained his excellent form this season. The Brazilian star has scored 13 goals and made 7 assists in 20 matches. The 24-year-old striker is not only the leader of the attack but also plays an important role in helping Mbappe integrate.
Despite the great disappointment of missing out on the "Golden Ball 2024" title, Vinicius quickly regained his spirit, asserting himself as a key player for Real Madrid. Since then, he has scored 6 goals in 6 matches for the "White Vultures" and won his 14th title in less than 7 full seasons at Real Madrid. In addition, Vinicius was also named the best men's player of the year at FIFA The Best.
In addition to Vinicius' impressive form, Jude Bellingham also showed a strong comeback after a poor start to the season. The English midfielder faced criticism after England's failure at EURO 2024. The situation got worse when the star born in 2003 suffered a persistent shoulder injury.
However, since November, Bellingham has recreated the form of last season and has had a great influence in the team's attack situations. The 21-year-old has scored in 6 consecutive matches, the best result of his career.
Despite an imperfect start, the coordination between Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Bellingham is getting better and better. Captain Carlo Ancelotti still has great faith in them and believes that this combination will bring success to Real Madrid in both La Liga and the Champions League this season.
After 18 matches in La Liga, the Santiago de Bernabeu team is only 1 point behind Atletico Madrid and 2 points ahead of Barcelona. With the "MVB" trio gradually improving, the Royal team promises to play explosively in the second phase of the season and become the hope for a glorious new program for Real Madrid.
