Welcome to Madrid, Kylian! The 25-year-old French forward, the shining star signing of Real Madrid in the recently concluded summer transfer window of 2024/25, is starting to receive some criticism for not immediately performing with the "merengues" (Real Madrid). Despite being one of the players with the most shots on goal and having shown his goal-scoring instinct on three occasions out of the five matches he has played with the white jersey, some sectors are beginning to question whether we are facing a possible drop in the performance of the French star.
This time, it was the French journalist from 'L'Équipe', Grégory Schneider, who raised his voice, daring to make an important statement about the talented forward from Bondy. What did he say? Schneider pointed out that Mbappé seems unable to reach the level he showed in 2022, when he was decisive with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 39 goals and providing 26 assists in 46 matches, and had a remarkable World Cup with France, where despite not being crowned tournament champion, he scored eight goals (including a memorable hat-trick in the final) and provided two assists in seven matches.
The harsh criticisms Kylian Mbappé received from France
This was the strong criticism of the French journalist regarding the current state of the former PSG player at Real Madrid: "He is four floors below the player he was in the 2022 World Cup, what happened, did he stop working? No. Does he care? No. Is he injured? It seems not. We have to look for the reason. During the Euro, I thought he was injured. It wasn't just the story of the mask because the day before the France-Austria match he told us that his physical condition was normal and that his mind took over. We wonder if it was his back or his knee," he commented.
Schneider continued to insist on the possibility that Mbappé is going through an unknown situation that is preventing him from reaching his best level, and he explained the reason behind this. "But he plays every game, Real Madrid makes him play at full speed, so something is happening that explains why at 25 his performances are worse than at 24, what is profoundly illogical is that it cannot be explained by an injury in football. So there's something there. I'm not preaching, but there's something to understand, and until they understand it, they need to be careful," he concluded.
How long will it take for Mbappé to regain his best form with Real Madrid?
Now, it remains to be seen how these criticisms are received in Chamartín, where they fully trust that Mbappé, one of the most prominent and expensive investments in the history of the Madrid team, will start responding with goals to all the expectations generated by his arrival at the white club, a situation that has not yet reached its peak. Although the feeling is that when Kylian reveals himself and adapts to his new role in the Real Madrid offensive line, perhaps more as a 'number 9', he will start scoring goals of all kinds and colors. Or not? Only time will tell.