Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti are confident: Kylian Mbappé will rediscover his best form in the Madrid colors.
44 goals and 10 assists in 48 appearances are not typically statistics one would judge as average or worse for a player. These numbers represent Kylian Mbappé’s performance with Paris Saint-Germain during the 2023-24 season, yet it’s true that the Frenchman seemed far from his peak. While he scored and remained decisive as always, he did not leave the same impact as in previous seasons.
At Euro 2024 with the French national team, he scored just one goal from a penalty and provided two assists, including a superb one against Spain, but he was largely insufficient in gameplay and terribly inefficient. Could this raise concerns for Real Madrid about the wisdom of this signing? Not at all.
Confidence in Ancelotti
The first good news for the Spanish club is that Kylian Mbappé is only 25 years old, and having a subpar season is not alarming. The second is that Real Madrid has the best institution, the best coach, and the best physical trainer to get the Frenchman back on track.
Indeed, the club’s strong institution should keep Mbappé’s sometimes overbearing entourage more at bay compared to Paris, while Carlo Ancelotti is the man best suited to handle egos within a locker room. The Italian has the experience to put Mbappé in the best conditions and also relies on the very healthy atmosphere in the locker room for an easy and quick integration of the new Madrid player. Additionally, Mbappé already knows several players in the Madrid squad well, especially his compatriots (Mendy, Camavinga, Tchouameni) and others like Vinicius Junior, not to mention many players of the same generation.
Confidence in Pintus
Furthermore, Carlo Ancelotti trusts Antonio Pintus, known as “Sergeant Pintus,” to get Kylian Mbappé back to his peak physical condition. The Italian is well-known for the intensity of his training sessions, especially during preseason, which will be the starting point for Real Madrid’s new number 9. Last year, Jude Bellingham struggled under him and described his new physical trainer as “crazy.”
As AS writes this Sunday, Real Madrid’s fitness coach has in his hands a physical phenomenon akin to Cristiano Ronaldo, and for the first time, he will implement the renowned “Pintus Method,” a method that brought great success to Real Madrid under Zidane and Ancelotti’s second tenure.
For now, it’s unclear whether Kylian Mbappé will cut short his vacation or not, but his return is scheduled for late July to early August. The goal is to prepare him to win the first title in Warsaw against Atalanta (August 14, UEFA Super Cup), as reported by AS, although the Frenchman might need a bit more time.
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