Kylian Mbappe has clapped back at critics questioning his early struggles at Real Madrid, delivering a candid defense of his star-studded—yet rocky—debut season. The French phenom, who joined Los Blancos last summer amid sky-high expectations, faced uncharacteristic hurdles, from missed penalties to whispers of a "slow start." While Madrid lifted the UEFA Super Cup and Mbappe netted in his Champions League debut, his La Liga journey began with a slow burn.
Now, the 26-year-old has broken his silence, unpacking the pressures of adapting to a new era and silencing doubters with a blistering second-half resurgence.
Kylian Mbappe’s raw reflection
In a no-holds-barred interview with Le Parisien, Kylian Mbappe dissected his adjustment phase, blending humility with defiance.
“It’s a combination of factors,” he explained. “You have to readjust to a new club, a new country… I was reaching a point in my career where I wasn’t the best in terms of sporting condition, and I had to be at my best right away because we already had finals to play in.”
The forward admitted the relentless demands of Madrid’s calendar—“a league where you have to win every match… seven different competitions”—overwhelmed him early on. “There was a lot to assimilate, and very quickly,” he conceded. “Unfortunately, I only did it quickly, not very quickly. But I knew it would work.”
From “rock bottom” to redemption: The turnaround
Mbappe’s nadir came in December, after back-to-back penalty misses left him questioning his form.
“A Euros you don’t win, where you don’t play well, an end to the season at PSG where you play much less… It’s an accumulation of things, injuries, poor performances,” he revealed. “I have such high standards that by wanting to do too well, it may have backfired on me.”
But the critics who wrote him off underestimated his resilience. Since December’s low, Kylian Mbappe has erupted for 21 goals in 24 games, including clutch strikes in La Liga and Europe. His tally of 31 goals now marks the fourth-best debut season in Madrid’s storied history—surpassing Brazilian legend Ronaldo.
Legacy in Motion: “You Don’t Lose Your Qualities”
Mbappe dismissed claims that his early struggles signaled decline, invoking teammate Randal Kolo Muani’s resurgence as proof.
“No player in the world loses their qualities… It’s just a question of context,” he asserted. For Mbappe, Madrid’s faith never wavered: “The club has always had the best attitude towards me; I knew… I would be able to show my qualities.”
With the season reaching its climax, Kylian Mbappe’s resurgence has silenced skeptics. His blend of self-awareness and swagger mirrors Madrid’s own ethos: stumble, adapt, then dominate. As the Frenchman put it, “You can’t tell yourself that you don’t know how to play football anymore.” For Mbappe and Madrid, the best is yet to come.