EXCLUSIVE: Kylian Mbappe brutally told he 'doesn’t make the difference' in battle to win the Champions League as ex-Barcelona star has his say on Real Madrid's chances

Madrid won a record-extending 15th European Cup last season and then went out and signed Mbappe, two years after being sensationally snubbed by the striker in favour of prolonging his stay at Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappe has scored four goals in his first six games with Madrid, including firing them to the UEFA Super Cup. But Aguero believes retaining the Champions League will not be that simple, even with the world-class forward now among their ranks.

"Nobody's ever been able to count Real Madrid out. No need to say that. Mbappe joining them only serves to make them a bigger threat," Aguero, speaking on behalf of Stake.com, told GOAL. "I think he's a shoo-in to be La Liga's next Pichichi (top scorer). Nevertheless, a single player doesn't make the difference. The team does. There's many of those vying to take the Champions, and they'll fight tooth-and-nail for it."

The Champions League will be extra-hard to win this season as the competition has been expanded to include two more games in the 'League Phase' and a two-legged play-off round. Aguero added: "We'll have to see how it plays out. The changes are major, it'll be hard to get used to them. I'm sure we'll have more to make a solid judgement in due time."

Aguero finished his career at Barcelona after playing for Manchester City for 10-trophy-laden years. His time in La Liga was painfully brief as he was forced to retire after making just four appearances for the Blaugrana due to a heart problem. The last goal of his career was against Real Madrid in a 2-1 defeat.

Mbappe never won the Champions League with Monaco or Paris Saint-Germain, losing the 2020 final to Bayern Munich. He makes his first appearance for Real in Europe's top competition against Stuttgart on Tuesday night.