Kylian Mbappe is coming off one of the best games of his young Real Madrid career, shredding Real Sociedad with a hat trick and adding three chances created for good measure in an all action, all around display of attacking excellence at the top of a Madrid attack with Arda Guler, Vincius Junior, and Jude Bellingham in his surrounding quartet again.
The Frenchman looked every bit the dominant marksman he was for the national team at the World Cup, shining in this more fluid role up top where he is free to pop up absolutely anywhere in the attack and wreak havoc with his athleticism and explosiveness. After failing to score on 10 shots against Espanyol, Mbappe was the picture of clinical efficiency, buoyed by Jude in that crashing No. 10 role covering blades upon blades of grass behind him.
Last season, Mbappe got a lot of flack from Real Madrid fans, because even though he was the Pichichi winner for a second season of two in a Royal White kit, the greatest World Cup player of all time also left a lot of goals on the table. And he frustrated Madridistas a lot by leaving the box vacated, which was exacerbated by Jude playing a deeper role.
Kylian Mbappe does not have to camp in the box for Real Madrid
Many questioned if Mbappe could be a true 9 for Real Madrid, since he lacks that box presence of an out and out striker while not having the same all around dribbling and creative class of his predecessor Karim Benzema.
But Jose Mourinho is already proving that Kylian Mbappe can succeed as the starting Real Madrid center forward without being a "real" No. 9. Real Madrid have that out and out striker available on the bench in Carlos Espi, who had the winner against Espanyol on Matchday 1, but they don't have to call upon him except in that Joselu role off the bench when they need that box presence.
Because Mbappe added so many dimensions to Real Madrid just by finally being himself and playing free without restrictions, not having to worry about who is in the box because Jude Bellingham could easily step in and be the guy he was in the 2023/24 season as a false 10 of sorts.
Mbappe was beyond brilliant against Real Sociedad, with Jose Mourinho finding a winning formula and cracking the code for KM10 at the Santiago Bernabeu, embracing his freedom to move anywhere on the pitch and destabilize the defense while still scoring goals.
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