Explained: Why Kylian Mbappe has been surprised by Real Madrid welcome as French superstar settles into life at Bernabeu

Madrid fans packed the Santiago Bernabeu in mid-July as he was presented as a summer signing after completing a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. Afterwards, the France captain endured a rocky period as he failed to score in his first three La Liga matches, a streak he ended at the fourth time of asking when he struck twice against Real Betis last week.

According to Marca, Mbappe expected to be given a rough time by the Madrid fans as he believed he would have to put in some stellar performances to win them over. Instead, he has been shocked by the warm reaction he has received ever since he arrived in the Spanish capital fresh from Euro 2024.

Mbappe's glowing reception at Madrid is a stark contract to the end of his time at PSG, which was fraught with criticism from supporters, an apparent fallout with coach Luis Enrique and a shouting match with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. The drama with his former team is still ongoing, too, as he is pursuing legal action against the club over money they allegedly owe him.

The World Cup winner will return to international duty for their Nations League matches against Italy and Belgium on September 6 and 9, respectively. He will then return to Spain ahead of their La Liga clash against Real Sociedad.