Kylian Mbappe – Slowly Rising as a Madrid Superstar

When the French superstar came to Real Madrid, thousands of fans with Real Madrid tickets gave him a hero’s welcome as they felt like they were rewriting history. 

He emulated the likes of his role model, Cristiano Ronaldo, who changed the club’s foundations drastically. 

But the period that followed his debut wasn’t the most pleasent. 

Constant lacklustre games and average performances kept the fans worried, asking if they made the right call.

At PSG, Mbappe was unstoppable. He was their playmaker and hero. But it wasn’t easy for him to transition to the Los Blancos. 

Fans with Real Madrid tickets soon questioned Mbappe’s presence in the squad, questioning whether he was ever a superstar player. 

Come March 2025, all of those critics will be silent—Mbappe has shown he is a superstar, surpassing Brazillian Ronaldo’s stats. 

Working alongside Jude Bellingham and Vincicus Jr., Mbappe is slowly becoming an unstoppable force. 

Mbappe’s Fightback

Kylian Mbappe delivered a pointed response to the critics who accused him of making a slow start to life at Real Madrid, insisting that he adapted “quickly, but not very quickly”.

After decades of fruitless speculation, the French superstar joined Real Madrid on a free transfer. Mbappe scored 68 minutes into his official debut as Madrid lifted the UEFA Super Cup and found the net on his first Champions League appearance for the club.

Madrid’s new No 9 needed three La Liga games to open his domestic account. After hitting “rock bottom” following consecutive missed penalties as November bled into December, Mbappe’s record for Madrid stood at ten goals in 20 games.

“It’s a combination of factors,” the France captain told Le Parisien this week. “You have to readjust to a new club, a new country… I was reaching a point in my career where I wasn’t the best in terms of sporting conditions. I had to be at my best right away because we already had finals to play in, a league where you have to win every match because there’s fierce competition, a new Champions League format, matches every three days, seven different competitions to play in…”

“There was a lot to assimilate, and very quickly,” Mbappe continued, adding: “Unfortunately, I only did it quickly, not very quickly. But I knew it would work. The club has always had the best attitude towards me; I knew that at some point, things would change, and I would be able to show my qualities in Madrid.”

“A Euros you don’t win, where you don’t play well, an end to the season at PSG where you play much less… It’s an accumulation of things, injuries, poor performances, things I haven’t experienced much in my career, that force you to get back on track to become the player you can be,” he explained.

“I wasn’t overthinking it, but I have such high standards that wanting to do too well may have backfired on me.

Since watching his penalty get rebuffed against Athletic Club at the start of December, Mbappe has scored 21 goals in 24 outings. The 26-year-old currently has 31 goals, which ranks as the fourth-best debut season in the club’s history, overtaking the Brazilian icon Ronaldo.

Madrid Eyeing Key Defender 

If there is one thing all the fans worldwide with Real Madrid tickets would agree on, it is that their defence has been nothing short of mediocre. 

Madrid consistently fell apart in the final third, which cost them important wins in the league. 

Now, they want reinforcements in the summer to turn things around. 

Real Madrid seemed conscious of the need to invest in their central defensive options last summer when, following the departure of Nacho Fernandez, they pursued Leny Yoro. 

However, with the French wonderkid accepting an offer from Manchester United instead, Los Blancos were forced to reset their plans for the decision.

The emergence of Raul Asencio has been a blessing for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, which has only been able to count on Antonio Rudiger in its backline regularly this season. As such, Real Madrid is leaning towards a transfer market without bringing in a central defender.

Los Blancos are keen not to spend big on a player they do not believe will be a difference-maker. With Rudiger and David Alaba both into their thirties and Eder Militao coming off a second straight season with a cruciate ligament injury, it is still on the agenda. One player that has earned their approval for a move is Arsenal’s William Saliba.

In his case, the issue will be extracting him from the Emirates. According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid believes him to be the ‘Jude Bellingham of defenders’, someone worth spending big for with the ability to cut it at the very top. 

They have been following his progress and constantly sending scouts to watch him. However, as Saliba himself explained in recent days, he has no intention of leaving the club, and Romano says that no movement should be expected this summer.

The key will come with his next contract. No talks are happening, explained the Italian transfer journalist, but Arsenal has over two years to complete a deal. 

This echoes reports from Spain, which claim that Real Madrid is considering a move in the summer of 2026 rather than this summer. Saliba is out of contract in 2027, and if the 23-year-old has not renewed by the end of the summer, it would not be out of character for Real Madrid to open talks with him over a potential cut-price move for the following year.

Modric Extension Coming Up? 

Luka Modric’s future at Real Madrid remains unresolved, but the Croatian maestro has made his stance clear—he wants to stay at the club for another season. 

According to Fabrizio Romano, Modric wants to sign a new deal that keeps him at the Santiago Bernabeu until June 2026, reinforcing his long-standing commitment to Los Blancos.

Despite his contract expiring at the end of the season, Real Madrid have yet to make any concrete moves regarding an extension. 

However, the club is satisfied with Modric’s performance this season, and there is a growing expectation that he will stay on for another year. 

The veteran midfielder’s key motivation is the prospect of representing Real Madrid at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Those with Real Madrid tickets think Modric still has it in him and hope the club considers a final deal.