Mbappé starts his Real Madrid career with a goal and a trophy – Technologist

Until this, the summer of sport had been written without Kylian Mbappé. Since his presentation to a packed Santiago-Bernabeu stadium on July 16, the captain of the French national team had not been in the news. No interviews, no personal messages on X or Instagram. Nothing, apart from the announcement of a new partnership and some content showing him training with Real Madrid, on his accounts or his new club’s. We saw him meeting the team’s other stars, getting ready under the Spanish capital’s sun, and even being teased copiously by his new teammates after a slightly limp shot.

It was a far cry from the exposure Mbappé usually receives. His return to the spotlight on Wednesday, August 14, at the European Supercup in Warsaw, was eagerly awaited. And he knew it. He was not going to disappoint on his debut for the club of his childhood dreams, the club where his idol, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, played for nine years.

Against Atalanta Bergamo, Real’s new No. 9 looked far from his peak form, with only a week’s training behind him. Positioned as the central attacker, he was discreet and often left his zone to head to the left, at the risk of stepping on Vinicius Junior’s toes.

But Mbappé is still Mbappé and, in the 68^th minute, he popped up in the box to perfectly meet a pass from England’s Jude Bellingham and score his first goal in his new shirt. It was his team’s second and secured Real Madrid’s sixth European Supercup title. The record total further cements the club’s status as a giant of the game.

Sharing the spotlight

After failing season after season to conquer the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Mbappé has finally lifted his first continental trophy. He did so while weaving the first threads of his relationship with Bellingham. The two stars are set to be the face of Real Madrid in the future, alongside Junior, and to top the next Ballon d’Or rankings in October.

“Everyone knows what it means to me to play for this club,” Mbappé told French television channel Canal+. “It’s my first match, and winning a title is very important. There’s always room for improvement, but I’m very happy. And then there’s the goal. For a player like me, being decisive right away leaves a mark.” A sign that this title was particularly eagerly awaited, Mbappé was the first to lift the trophy after the two captains Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal.

Naturally, we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out whether the Frenchman will adapt to his new club. At Madrid, the striker from the northeastern Paris suburb of Bondy will not be the only headliner as he was at PSG and will have to share the spotlight with the other stars of the dressing room. He won’t be the one wearing the captain’s armband around his arm, nor is it a given that he will be taking penalties and free-kicks. But he will have to prove why he is a world champion (in 2018) and deserves his confidential but indubitably plump salary.

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