Kylian Mbappe a victim of 'greatest enemy in football' after becoming another 'Galactico' at Real Madrid

The World Cup winner finally completed a move to Spain in the summer of 2024 after several windows of intense speculation regarding his future. Mbappe joined Los Blancos as a free agent after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.

Adapting to life outside of his homeland was always going to be challenging, and Mbappe faced plenty of uncomfortable questions early on in Madrid before finding a spark that has delivered six goals and another trophy through his last eight appearances in all competitions.

Former Real player and coach Jorge Valdano has told Suddeutsche Zeitung of the challenges that the France international has had to overcome in the Spanish capital: "It’s a question of adaptation. Mbappe left his country, France, for the first time and that took him sociologically out of his comfort zone. This may have led to a process of anxiety, and anxiety is the great enemy of the footballer."

Mbappe knew what he was letting himself in for when agreeing to join Real, but the intensity of performing under the brightest of spotlights may have come as some surprise. Valdano added on the differences between superstar status in Paris and Madrid: "In France, football is not as culturally important as it is here in Spain. This can be seen simply on the television channel DAZN, which has perhaps 100,000 to 200,000 subscribers in France. Real Madrid, on the other hand, is not only the news leader on Sundays but also on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays."

Mbappe has taken his goal haul for the Blancos to 14 through 24 appearances. He is playing with a smile on his face again and will be hoping to figure prominently when Real return to action after their winter break with a trip to Valencia on Friday.