Real Madrid just had a big 4-1 win over Las Palmas in round 20 of La Liga, thereby firmly holding the top spot with 46 points, 2 points more than Atletico Madrid and 7 points more than Barcelona. This is a somewhat surprising result if looking at Los Blancos in the previous 2 months.
At that time, the Bernabeu team stumbled continuously, seemingly having left the La Liga race. During that difficult period, Kylian Mbappe's disappointing image was mentioned continuously. However, things are different now.
The French striker's double against Las Palmas was just two of many recent goals from captain Les Bleus. In the last 7 matches in all competitions, "Ninja Turtle" has had 8 goals and 2 assists. This is the image that Madridistas want to see in the contract that is expected to replace the influence of Cristiano Ronaldo before.
Recalling the time in December 2024, after the match against Athletic Bilbao, Mbappe himself admitted that he was at the bottom of his form. However, everything has since disappeared, and Sunday's match is an affirmation of the French star's return.
Since the loss to Bilbao on December 4, 2024, Mbappe has been involved in 10 goals for Real Madrid (as above). On average, for every 74.5 minutes on the pitch, the 26-year-old star participated in a goal by Los Blancos. When Mbappe plays well, his teammates around him are also more free, thereby having more opportunities to shine.
"He is a real Devil, it's been a long time since I've seen such an influential player compared to the rest of the team" - Dani Ceballos shared after the win over Las Palmas.
As soon as the home team conceded a goal in the first minute of the match, Mbappe took the lead with a penalty kick to equalize 1-1. Previously, Mbappe was the one who missed the penalty in Real Madrid's losses to Liverpool (Champions League) and Athletic Bilbao (La Liga). After that, Vinicius was injured, the responsibility of scoring and awarding a penalty was on Mbappe's shoulders. He did not disappoint the "White Vultures" fans.
When Mbappe scored the second goal against Las Palmas, while raising the score to 3-1, the satisfaction of coach Carlo Ancelotti on the pitch spoke for itself. The Italian strategist once said that as long as Mbappe plays at his best, the chance for Real Madrid to win all tournaments is very high.
As for Mbappe, he always wants to score more goals for Real Madrid. Before the break, the Los Blancos striker could have had a hat-trick if the third goal had not been denied by VAR due to offside. Mbappe was a bit angry with himself for missing the opportunity. That is the spirit and enthusiasm of dedication that Ancelotti wants to see from his student.
Since the beginning of the season, Mbappe has scored 12 goals in 18 matches in La Liga. In 2009, when Ronaldo first joined Real Madrid, CR7 had 15 goals in 18 matches. If he maintains this form, Mbappe's first season could be as good as the Portuguese legends have had.
"He's the best player in the world right now, right? Or is it the best striker? We have doubted Mbappe's ability to play as a striker and have often said he would play more well on the wing. It seems everyone was wrong" - Ancelotti shared about Mbappe after the win over Las Palmas.
