From a personal perspective, Kylian Mbappe's free transfer to Real Madrid in 2024 can be considered a resounding success. The French striker has scored 83 goals in 97 appearances for Los Blancos, including 39 goals in all competitions this season. This is a record only behind Harry Kane among the top strikers in 5 major European national leagues.
Those are world-class numbers, similar to what Mbappe once showed in Paris Saint-Germain colors. No one can deny that he is one of the most decisive players of his generation: sharp in finishing, explosive in speed, strong physically and capable of making a difference on his own.
However, along with increasing fame is also constantly expanding ego. At the age of 27, Mbappe seems to not accept any secondary roles. At PSG, he does not want to be behind Neymar or Ousmane Dembele. And when moving to Madrid, he continues to demand a central position, even surpassing Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.
PSG only touching the Champions League title after Mbappe left is not accidental. The excessive dependence on an individual once made their playing style monotonous - a problem that Real Madrid is also facing now.
Without adjustments, the Royal team is at risk of losing balance in their playing style. When a team is too much revolved around a star, no matter how excellent, the long-term consequence may be a decline in competitiveness, not only in the domestic arena but also in Europe.
After the disappointing defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final - a match that Mbappe was absent due to a knee injury - Xabi Alonso was sacked. Real Madrid quickly appointed Alvaro Arbeloa from Castilla to lead the first team. However, the change on the coaching bench was not enough to stop the decline of the Royal team.
Currently, Barca is leading La Liga with a 9-point gap when the season is only 7 rounds away, while Real Madrid faces a challenging task in the UEFA Champions League after a 1-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the quarter-finals right at home. Under Arbeloa, Real has only won 1 victory in the last 4 matches, of which a 1-2 defeat to Mallorca is considered the bottom of their form.
Mbappe himself is also clearly declining. He has only scored 1 goal in the last 7 matches, while the chance conversion rate has dropped sharply from 25% to 4% according to statistics from the Spanish media. This is a sign that the French striker is losing his scoring instinct at the most important stage of the season.
In the 1-1 draw against Girona at the Bernabeu, Mbappe disappointed when he only achieved a xGOT index of 0.14. He lost the ball 20 times, only won 4/17 aerial duels and almost did not create connection in the overall play, as well as contribute when the team did not have the ball.
Mbappe clearly needs a practical boost to look back at himself. If Real Madrid continues to be eliminated from the UEFA Champions League right from the quarter-finals, the Royal team's leadership may be forced to make strong decisions. They must set clear limits on Mbappe's role in the team, or consider the option of finding a new center forward that is more suitable for the system.
