- 12 hours ago
Pressure on Mbappe grows: He’s not Ronaldo or Benzema!
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 1 Nov 2024 12:00 GMT
- 3 min read
Kylian Mbappe continues to face mounting criticism at Real Madrid, with claims made that he is neither as deadly as Cristiano Ronaldo nor as effective for the team as Karim Benzema.
Mbappe might have scored eight goals in 14 appearances for his new club, but he already finds himself under pressure.
Three of his goals have come from the penalty spot, while his overall contribution for the team has been disappointing.
STATS
Kylian Mbappé
F (C)
Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappé
F (C)
Real Madrid
Arguably the worst part of Mbappe’s influence, though, has been that a Madrid team that had previously looked so well balanced has lost that equilibrium and stability. And those in Spain are not impressed.
“Mbappe is not living up to expectations and lacks skill and determination in front of goal,” AS stated after El Clasico, during which the striker was caught offside a scarcely believable eight times.
“He is not the promised big bang, this unstoppable player from another dimension. It may be his position, his physical condition or his mentality. Or all at once. But something is not working. This Mbappe is not Mbappe.”
Supporters turning on Mbappe
It’s not just the press who are unimpressed: Real Madrid’s fans are also turning against the player who arrived on a free transfer from PSG in the summer.
“Take him back to France!” L’Equipe was told by socio Pedro. “His problem is that he’s neither Cristiano Ronaldo in front of goal or Karim Benzema in his play. He’s going to have to wake up – and quickly!”
Similarly, another fan, David, feels let down by the striker.
“He's not at all at the level we were hoping for. We expect a lot more from him,” he said. “But we also said that Benzema was worthless at the beginning. We need to give him a bit of time, but he's starting to become frustrating. Because if we chased him for seven years and he ended up being a scam, it would be hard to swallow.
“We’re starting to have some doubts.
“We feel he's lost on the pitch and lacking confidence too. He no longer has Toni Kroos to serve him either. But I'm sure that sooner or later it will explode.”
Internally, Real Madrid are said to be confident and supportive of the player, with Mbappe enjoying the “unwavering” support of Carlo Ancelotti.
Mbappe’s next match will be against AC Milan on Tuesday after their scheduled LaLiga clash was postponed because of flooding.
