Mbappé finds his place

It's clear he's determined to fit into the team he claims to have supported as a youngster

Rob Palmer / ESPN commentator

Malaga

Friday, 26 July 2024, 13:19

It's time for Kylian Mbappé to channel his inner Benzema and Bellingham - the longest transfer chase in football has finally been completed.

"We' ... ll put him somewhere, I'll find him a place", joked Carlo Ancelotti as the latest galáctico was spectacularly unveiled in front of 80,000 fans at the Bernabéu.

Although it was taken as a joke, we should look beyond the statement. The norm is to build a team around the giants of world football - but he's joining the champions of Spain and the team that has just claimed the top European title for the 15th time. To do the double, Ancelotti needed to improvise.

There was a huge gap to fill when Karim Benzema fled to Saudi; he'd been one of the most influential players over the past decade. One of the main reasons was the sensational debut season of Jude Bellingham. Many expected the young Englishman to be eased into the team - yet his influence was incredible with 23 goals and 13 assists. Mbappé needs to play with the energy of fellow Frenchman Benzema and hit the ground running like Bellingham.

Ancelotti is regarded as old-school because of his age, but is constantly reinventing his style of football. If anyone can find a way of encompassing Mbappé's talents, it is the peerless Italian. He'll want to avoid one of the issues of a previous galáctico era when the team looked unbalanced as they tried to shoehorn all the marquee names into a starting eleven. It's like a supergroup trying to do a stadium gig with three lead singers. Vinícius Júnior thrived as the centre-stage spotlight was cast on him last season; he shared the stage with the brilliant Bellingham; Rodrygo was content to be the back-up singer adding harmony.

The early signs are that Mbappé is happy to do everything he can to fit in. At PSG, he ruled the roost. He was virtually player-president and influenced all aspects of the club. For France, he has been the superstar - and everything revolved around him. Alas, he scored only one goal in the final four Champions League games as they departed with a whimper, and he only scored once at the World Cup finals for his country. His main headline this summer was for getting involved in the country's politics.

In Madrid, there's only one president - and politics need to be avoided at all costs. Mbappé has made all the right noises, and in Spanish too. The journalists at his unveiling were most impressed by his command of the language and his humble manner.

It's clear he's determined to fit into the team he claims to have supported as a youngster. He declined the chance to sign at the age of 14 but continued to dream of joining the club and there are stories about him idolising Cristiano Ronaldo. He's still only 25 years old so his peak years should be ahead of him. He's possibly the only player who can take the European champions to a new level. His broken nose is on the mend and already sales of the number nine shirt have smashed all records. The only downside for the club's marketing department is the fact he won't be playing in his mask - they could have sold millions of them!

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