Real Madrid superstar forward Kylian Mbappe is about to have another World Cup for the ages, and he is already on four goals and two assists this tournament as one of the early MVPs. After showing up big as a goal scorer in the opening games against Iraq and Senegal, Mbappe decided to show deference to reigning Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, boosting his confidence with a pair of assists.
On France, Mbappe looks more like a leader and a team player. He presses more, he passes more, he is more aware of his teammates, and he has a more confident and outspoken aura about him that matches some of the biggest legends in the game and the players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema whose foot steps he wants to follow in.
Real Madrid did not get to see that from Mbappe at all last season. He seemed more down, mercurial, moody, and hiding away from the spotlight. He looked like a player not necessarily lacking in confidence but out his element, feeling a bit like his importance was not credited or almost disinterested.
Kylian Mbappe thrives with responsibility
Florentino Perez hired the biggest personality in coaching, Jose Mourinho, to help get the big stars of Real Madrid to shine at their brightest. And even before Mou's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu, the protagonists like Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Kylian Mbappe are flying high at the 2026 World Cup.
And when watching Mbappe score more goals, provide more assists, and play better in every phase for France, a lesson is starting to come into the picture for Real Madrid. What Real need to do is give Mbappe more trust and responsibility, not less. Because he does, like Jude and the others, want that importance, respect ,and autonomy.
He is the kind of player who will actually work harder if he is given more, and though Luis Enrique could not get to him, Enrique is more of a tactician than a psychologist. Jose Mourinho can press the buttons of players like nobody else; he got Samuel Eto'o to turn into a monster like none other defensively, for example, when he won the treble at Inter Milan.
Real Madrid, through watching France, have found the formula with Mbappe. They need to tell him, "You are the leader, but like you did with Ousmane Dembele and how you connect with Michael Olise, you need to be there for the team and lead your teammates." When Mbappe embraces that for Madrid and if Madrid can get that message through to him, Champions League glory will be back at the Bernabeu.
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