Is Kylian Mbappe Champions League kryptonite? Embarrassing Real Madrid exit suggests Galactico striker isn't capable of leading a team to European glory - just ask PSG!

The truth is that Madrid have been disjointed for the majority of the season. A lack of transfer activity is the main reason for that, with Ancelotti's defence decimated by injuries and the Toni Kroos-shaped hole in the midfield yet to be filled, but it's also undeniable that Mbappe's presence has created an imbalance.

In 2023-24, Bellingham often played through the middle, and led Madrid's press flanked by Vinicius and Rodrygo. But ever since Mbappe's arrival, the defensive work of the frontline has dwindled significantly.

Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo have all neglected to put in the hard yards, which has forced Bellingham and Federico Valverde to drop deeper and try to compensate. Opposing teams have been able to get at Madrid far too easily as a result, with Ancelotti's makeshift defence left exposed against the top teams.

That was the case when Arsenal thrashed the Blancos 3-0 at Emirates Stadium, and again at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. The Gunners booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-1 win in the Spanish capital, and in the end, Real were lucky the final 5-1 aggregate scoreline wasn't wider.

Bukayo Saka missed a first-half penalty, and Martin Odegaard wasted a glorious opening against his former club in the second when he curled a shot wide of the far post. At the other end of the pitch, the home side struggled to create anything of note, with even Vinicius' consolation goal only coming after an uncharacteristic mistake from William Saliba.

Mbappe limped off with an injury in the 75th minute of the second leg after a tangle with Declan Rice, but you'd have been forgiven for thinking he didn't even start. Indeed, the World Cup winner didn't manage a single shot on target and only touched the ball four times in Arsenal's box as he was effectively marked out of the game by Saliba and Jakub Kiwior.

A player of Mbappe's stature should be taking games like this by the scruff of the neck - that's what Madrid bought him for. But he has now gone four Champions League matches without a goal or an assist - the worst run of his career to date - having also struggled to make an impact in the last-16 win over Atletico Madrid.

It seems that Mbappe is running out of steam down the finishing straight of the campaign, too, with no goal contributions in any of his last five appearances across all competitions. This is simply not good enough for Real's first-choice striker, or a player who Ancelotti has backed to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo fired Madrid to four Champions League titles, scoring 67 goals in the knockout stages alone, including four in six finals. In the clutch moments, Madrid have never had a more reliable frontman.

At the moment, it's difficult to see Mbappe getting close to Ronaldo's level. The former Monaco and PSG talisman has a very respectable 24 to his name in the latter rounds of Europe's most prestigious competition, but only one of those has come in seven appearances beyond the quarter-finals.

Mbappe was completely ineffective in PSG's last-four defeat to Borussia Dortmund last season, and in their semi-final loss to Man City in 2020-21. PSG did reach their first-ever final in 2019-20, but they went down 1-0 to Bayern Munich in Lisbon, with Mbappe squandering a gilt-edge chance in the first half that may have changed the tide of the contest.

It would be too harsh to say that Mbappe is not a big-game player; after all, he has scored four goals for France across two World Cup finals, and he's already ninth on the list of the top all-time scorers in the Champions League. But in the latter competition, Mbappe seems to have developed a mental block, and has yet to prove he can carry a team all the way to the trophy like Ronaldo did.

Madrid will have to make some big changes to re-establish themselves as Champions League contenders again next season. That may include sacking Ancelotti, but a defensive overhaul should be the priority, and perhaps the addition of another centre-forward.

Mbappe's numbers suggest he's done okay in that role, but it still doesn't come naturally to him. The France captain has always been at his most dangerous coming off the left, and that spot could be his again at Real if a Saudi Pro League side succeeds in a summer swoop for Vinicius.

Even if the Brazil international stays, a reshuffle of some kind is needed. The Blancos have regressed with Mbappe up top, which even one of his own team-mates has come out to acknowledge.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told CBS Sports after the home defeat to Arsenal: "They're a team that defends well, is well organised, presses well, and it's difficult to find space. We put in a lot of crosses, but this year we don't have Joselu, a natural striker up front."

Courtois was not suggesting that the former Stoke City marksman is better than Mbappe, but simply pointing out that he gave Madrid a different dimension. Indeed, their last European triumph probably wouldn't have materialised without Joselu, who scored a stunning late brace to take them past Bayern in the semi-finals.

In hindsight, Real were too quick to facilitate Joselu's €1.5m summer move to Qatari side Al Gharafa. He contributed 17 goals in 48 appearances for the Spanish champions last term, despite only starting 18 times, and Ancelotti hasn't been able to come up with another Plan B upfront since his exit.

"We are a team, but sometimes I feel like we play too individually," Courtois added. "When they double-team Vini or Kylian, sometimes it works out, but three, four times, it doesn't. If we want to win, we need to be better."

The Madrid No.1's comments also fuelled suggestions that Mbappe and Vinicius have been too caught up in trying to out-do each other. Vinicius has certainly been more selfish this season, ironically to his detriment in terms of goal involvements, while Mbappe's over-inflated ego continues to prevent him from reaching the next level.

At PSG, Mbappe too often put himself ahead of the collective and hated sharing the spotlight, as evidenced by his fractious relationship with Neymar. The Monaco academy graduate was still able to amass six Ligue 1 titles at Parc des Princes, but the Champions League stayed out of his reach because PSG never functioned like an elite unit when he was on their books.

They are doing exactly the opposite without Mbappe, though. Everyone in the PSG squad is now pulling in the same direction under Luis Enrique, who has transformed them into the most feared team in Europe by demanding maximum effort off the ball and encouraging freedom of expression on it.

With young French duo Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, resurgent former Barcelona flop Ousmane Dembele and January signing Khvicha Kvartskhelia wreaking havoc in the final third, no one at PSG is still longing for Mbappe. That's not just because of the quartet's flair and genius, but also their willingness to run themselves into the ground for the badge - a trait Mbappe is still lacking.

Luis Enrique did try to bring that out of Mbappe, in fairness. In a documentary following the Spaniard's first year in charge at PSG, he was seen calling Mbappe in for a one-on-one meeting before the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Barcelona, and stressed the importance of sticking to defensive responsibilities while comparing the forward to an NBA legend.

"I read you like Michael Jordan," Luis Enrique said. "Well, Michael Jordan grabbed his team-mates by the balls and defended like a son of a b*tch. You're a phenomenon, world-class. But that's not enough for me. I need you to lead when it comes to pressing and defending. Do you know what we will have then? A f*cking machine. That's what I want from you in these two months you have left [with PSG]. I want you to go out in style."

In fairness, Mbappe initially rose to his manager's challenge, scoring a brace as PSG beat Barca 4-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to secure a 6-4 aggregate victory. But that just made his woeful performances against Dortmund in the semis all the more frustrating.

Mbappe only gives everything when he feels like it, as Madid are now also finding out to their peril. It was embarrassing how meekly the Blancos surrendered their European crown, and pipping Barcelona to the La Liga title or beating their arch-rivals in the Copa del Rey final won't be enough to make up for it.

Real's main reason for bringing in Mbappe was to help ensure their continued dominance of the Champions League, so this season must already be considered a disappointment. The Bernabeu's new poster boy has some serious soul searching to do now; Luis Enrique was right about Mbappe being a world-class footballer, but he won't get his hands on the club game's biggest prize until he becomes a true team player.