Kylian Mbappe’s start to life at the Bernabeu hasn’t gone as smoothly as expected, and former Arsenal and Chelsea star Emmanuel Petit thinks many didn’t want him to sign
Real Madrid’s stars and Carlo Ancelotti would not have wanted the club to sign Kylian Mbappe this summer, says Emmanuel Petit.
Los Blancos have aligned themselves with making blockbuster signings in the 21st century. Upon their unveiling in Madrid, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale all became the most expensive signings the world had ever seen.
Yet, though Mbappe didn’t cost the club a transfer fee, expectations were still sky high for the Frenchman, as he was thrown into a potent melting pot of Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham.
However, the 25-year-old has seemingly had an adverse effect on the team. Failing to score in his first three La Liga games, Mbappe has since found the back of the net consistently, but this hasn’t aided Real’s lacklustre form, leading to him being accused of disrupting the Champions League winners – something Petit agrees with.
“I’m sure that Carlo Ancelotti and several Real Madrid players didn’t want the club to sign Kylian Mbappe in the summer,” Petit told Casino Hawks. This was a Real Madrid dressing room who had just won La Liga and the Champions League and Mbappe’s arrival has only brought trouble.
“Ancelotti was on top of the world after winning the Champions League, and I think he would’ve liked two or three players to fit into his squad, but no big changes.”
While manager Ancelotti may not have been delighted with Mbappe’s signing, according to ex-Chelsea and Arsenal man Petit, star players who now have to share the limelight with the Frenchman may also be left disgruntled.
“When you win big trophies, you build happiness, and bringing in big egos changes things,” Petit added. “The biggest problem for Mbappe is having two team-mates who also want to be the star of the show and want to win the Ballon d’Or in Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr.”
However, despite the disruption that Mbappe has allegedly brought with him from PSG, Petit remains confident that he and his team will adapt as he finds his feet – though it is up to the 25-year-old to prove this.
Learn more
“Kylian Mbappe has just got to show that he has the character and mental strength to put things right,” Petit continued, hopeful for the French star. “He needs to show that he can be as strong as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo mentality to find his consistency, he needs to show that he has real character and personality on the pitch.”
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
