Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe had a minor weight lifted when he beat the offside trap on Sunday night, latching onto a Fede Valverde backheel and slotting underneath Rui Silva. Followed by a penalty, Mbappe notched his first two goals in domestic Spanish football, and his first at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mbappe was all smiles after the game, and was generous with his time in the mix-zone after the game. Diario AS quoted his
“It’s a great moment. I had a huge desire to score in this mythical stadium, the best in the world. But the most important thing is the victory. We had to win after Las Palmas, even though we were facing a difficult game, as they all are against rivals here. But we are Real Madrid. And finally we won.”
He was also positive about their chances of increasing production between him and his star-studded attacking teammates, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes.
“I’m not surprised by the whistles the other day. I come from a club like Paris. But they are things you get at a big club. Today we won and the people are with us. It is the life of a footballer.”
“I know that when a player like me joins a team many things change, but I think that from the first game until today we have improved. I feel good in this team and I know that as a player I can do better than today and in the other games.”
Dani Ceballos has been ruled out with an ankle sprain. He will miss the Madrid derby at the end of the month. Details of his recovery bellow. 👇
(Diario AS) #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/RWHIl8Eoth
— Football España (@footballespana_) September 2, 2024
Speaking specifically to the French media, Mbappe said he was enjoying life in the Spanish capital, but he was missing speaking French.
“My new life in Madrid is great. Honestly… a little strange because I don’t speak much French anymore, I miss it a little. But the rest is great. The weather is great, it’s [been] super fast, I didn’t discover much because we immediately went every three days, we took trips.”
Yet he said he was feeling much less pressure in Spain than in France, despite being the headline act at Real Madrid.
“But I have much more peace here. It’s normal, when you’re French in France, what I represent there… it’s normal that people give you a lot of love and a lot of pressure. Here I am a star but only the Real Madrid player. It’s great and I’m much calmer in my life.”
Mbappe will now head off on France duty with Les Bleus facing Italy back in Paris at the Parc des Princes, before heading to Lyon to play against Belgium. It’s been a mixed start for him at Real Madrid, but it is no surprise that Los Blancos are taking a little time to adapt to their new tools.
