Real Madrid overcame a 2-0 deficit against Borussia Dortmund with five goals in the second half, including a hat-trick from Vinicius Jr. Nonetheless, one of the talking points is the lack of influence that former Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé in this comeback.
Mbappé had one assist but didn’t register a goal as the Brazilian stole the spotlight in this performance. The lack of the Frenchman being the marquee player on the squad comes after a challenging start to life with the Spanish side.
Earlier this month, Real Madrid supporters didn’t hesitate to roast the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner. They noted that they haven’t seen the player who became a star at PSG and took the football world by storm.
Kylian Mbappé needs to adapt to a supporting cast role
The Spanish media are also discussing this, and on Wednesday, El Chiringuito host Josep Pedrerol believes that Mbappé will be the supporting player for as long as Vinicius Jr. is with Los Blancos.
“I think Mbappé was the kind of leader who carried the team on his shoulders,” Pedrerol said. “Everything revolved around him, and he played wherever he wanted. But here, he doesn’t get to do that. He plays where he wants, while Vinicius is the one who truly decides.
🐢 “MBAPPÉ está de ‘SEGUNDÓN’ con VINICIUS”.
❌ “Y mientras sea así… NO PIDÁIS al del PSG”.
💣 Tre-men-do: @jpedrerol, más serio que nunca. pic.twitter.com/o2Kxb6CI2W
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) October 23, 2024
“Vinicius plays on his terms. He takes the penalties when he feels like it and lets Mbappé take them too. So, what does that say about leadership? The only one who chooses how and where he plays here is Vinicius. And as long as Mbappé is in a supporting role, don’t ask for the one from PSG. I think he’s starting to push back against that.”
