‘Not good as a 9’ but Vinicius Junior ‘the best’ – Karim Benzema tells Kylian Mbappe what to ‘forget’ while offering important Real Madrid advice

World Cup winner Mbappe forged his reputation, while becoming Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading goalscorer, while operating on the left flank. His pace, power and finishing ability was ideally suited to life in a wide attacking post.

He has been shifted into a more central berth since completing a move to Santiago Bernabeu that had been speculated on for some time. Mbappe is still finding his feet as a ‘Galactico’ in Madrid – as Brazilian superstar Vinicius Junior fills his more natural position – and Benzema has passed on words of wisdom as a man that knows all about the pressure of performing for La Liga heavyweights.

Ex-Blancos striker Benzema has told El Chiringuito of his former France international team-mate: “The problem for me is that Mbappe is not a centre-forward. Every time he plays for France as a ‘9’ he is not good, it is not his position. The problem is that on the left there is another player who is at the same level as him… you can’t put Vini on the right or as a centre-forward, where he makes a difference is on the left. Let’s see how [Carlo] Ancelotti does that.

“Mbappe is not a ‘9’. There is a lot of pressure at Real Madrid, this is not PSG. A piece of advice? He shouldn’t give up. I don’t think Ancelotti is going to move Vinicius, he’s the best in the world right now in that position. Mbappe has to get it into his head that he has to be a ‘9’ and forget about the left. He’s been very good on the left and now he has to be good somewhere else.”

Benzema plundered 354 goals for Real across 14 seasons, winning the Ballon d’Or in the process, and added on the expectation that Mbappe has to contend with: “My situation in my first year and Kylian’s is different. I was 21 and he is 25, it’s not the same. He knows that there is a lot of pressure at Real Madrid.

“If you don’t score a goal in two or three games, they’ll kill you. He has to learn to live with that. He has to put up with that pressure. Every game is new and you have to score goals, they brought him for that and he has the level for it.”

Mbappe has found the target on eight occasions for Real through 14 appearances in all competitions, but is yet to show what he is truly capable of and has netted just once in his last five outings. The Blancos will be back in Champions League action on Tuesday when playing host to Christian Pulisic, Alvaro Morata and AC Milan.