The stakes are high for Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid. The 25-year-old superstar finally made his much-anticipated move from PSG this summer after a three-year-long transfer saga.
But is Mbappe losing a step?
According to France legend Bixente Lizarazu, Mbappe is “no longer scary.”
“Perhaps he is less serene than usual, more tense because he is slow to find the best footballing version of himself,” the former left-back wrote in a L’Equipe op-ed.
“Mbappe is no longer as explosive or decisive as he was. He remains a very good scorer, a very good player of course, but he is no longer scary as before.”
What a way to hit them while they’re down, Bixente.
By his standards, Mbappe is struggling to find his feet in Spain. He averaged a goal contribution every 75 minutes for club and country back in 2022. This season, the Frenchman went scoreless in his first three La Liga games before scoring a brace in a 2-0 win over Real Betis. His Euro 2024 performances were “a failure,” as he put it, as Les Bleus bailed out to La Roja in the semis.
Perhaps Mbappe’s psychology is more revealing. The French captain criticized Les Bleus supporters before last Friday’s team clash against Italy. France lost 3-1, and Mbappe failed to fire. Didier Deschamps left him out of Monday’s starting lineup for the Nations League clash against Belgium.
“You can’t be insensitive to the feelings of the French team’s supporters, to the frustrations they may have, to the questions they may have,” added Bixente.
“You have to try to answer them, give them hope, it’s part of the job and the emotional connection you have to have with your fans.”
It’s clear that Mbappe is facing a challenging period that is affecting his mindset. On top of his dismal start, a hacker broke into his X account and shared some wild opinions, from the Ronaldo-Messi debate to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war to some crypto scheme. But we’re talking about Mbappe, the youngest player since Pele to score in a World Cup final.
A player of Mbappe’s caliber doesn’t forget scoring 256 times in 308 matches for PSG. Nearly two years ago, he single-handedly returned France from the abyss in the 2022 World Cup final.
Perhaps he lost a step the last couple of seasons and is slower in short distances than Vini Junior. But we doubt speed is the issue. During the 2021/22 Champions League, Mbappe’s max speed was approximately 38km/h, putting him at a 10.9-second finish in a hypothetical 100m sprint. World record holder Usain Bolt once ran 44.72 km/h in the 100m in 9.58 seconds. The one-second difference is stark in track and field but eye-opening on the pitch.
No, Mbappe’s issues are more systematic in Ancelotti’s 4-3-3 system, in which he plays core. Like Ronaldo, he’ll have to figure out how to convert his shining career as a winger into a lethal central forward.
The best players continue to evolve. Mbappe is no exception.
