Kylian Mbappe latest: Real Madrid star sent strict warning by Benzema

Cameron Smith

5 Nov 2024 11:30 CST
3 min read

Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema has urged Kylian Mbappe to “forget” about his aspirations of playing as a left winger at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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The France superstar joined Los Blancos on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in July, but he has struggled to make an immediate impact in Spain, largely due to the fact he has been deployed as a centre-forward.

Mbappe has eight goals and two assists in 14 Real Madrid games, but he has only found the back of the net once in his last five appearances across all competitions, while he endured a nightmare El Clasico debut in late October.

Mbappe, 25, has repeatedly stated that his preference is to play off the left flank, however Carlo Ancelotti has solely used the Frenchman as a number nine due to the presence of Brazil international Vinicius Junior.

Benzema has acknowledged that Mbappe isn’t suited to playing through the middle, but he has told his countryman to focus on adapting to his new position, rather than attempt to displace Vinicius.

What has Karim Benzema said?

Benzema, who spent 14 years at Real Madrid, told El Chiringuito (as per BBC Sport): “The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn't feel right, because that's not his position.

© IMAGO - Kylian Mbappe has struggled since joining Real Madrid

“On the left, he's got a guy who's at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem, you can't play Vinicius as a number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game.

“Mbappe isn't a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he's under a lot of pressure, this isn't Paris St-Germain.”

Benzema added: “If you go two or three games without a goal, you're going to have a lot of problems.”

However, when asked what Mbappe must do to fix his current dip in form, the 36-year-old admitted: “Don't give up, because I don't think he's going to push Vinicius to move. He's the best player in the world at the moment.

“Mbappe needs to get it into his head that today he's a number nine, and forget about the left flank for a while.”