Mbappe and the quest for the European Grail
It's a story that comes back every season like an old girl. Real Madrid is going back to assaulting the Champions League, its fetish competition, its kingdom, its DNA. But this time, the casting has changed. This time, the white king entrusted the keys to his attack to Kylian Mbappe. And the Frenchman had only one obsession: turning his childhood dream into a golden reality.
Tuesday evening, at Santiago Bernabeu, Marseille will stand up against the Merengues for a French-Spanish shock with a particular scent. On the lawn, only one silhouette will really catch the attention: Mbappe's, number 7 in the back, right look, no sign of apparent anxiety. He knows that this kind of appointment can write a legend.
A journey sown with difficulties
The Mbappe paradox, it's here. The man has already won everything or almost everything. 19-year-old world champion, seven-time League 1 champion, collector of early records. Yet his CV remains orphaned of the most beautiful line: the Champions League.
Last season, Madrid collapsed in a quarter against Arsenal. 5-1 cumulative, collective humiliation, personal frustration. Before that, we remember this final lost in 2020 with the PSG, against Bayern Munich, on a goal by Coman that still haunts some Parisian fans. Every time, Mbappe touches the Cup with his finger in his big ears, but she goes into his hands. Like a modern curse.
Impressive statistics
And yet, the numbers tell another story. 87 Champions League games, 55 goals, 24 assists. Boss stats, killer of the big parties. We're not talking about a player who disappears when the light lights up, but about a competitor who shines in the arena.
Xabi Alonso, son coach madrilène, ne s’en cache pas : « Il ne me semble pas anxieux. » L’ancien stratège espagnol voit en Mbappe une sérénité rare, une confiance glaciale qui déteint sur le reste du groupe. Et il sait que dans une compétition aussi exigeante, c’est peut-être la qualité la plus précieuse.
A project in development
Le Real n’est pas encore au sommet de sa version Mbappe. Le projet est jeune, encore en construction. Mais l’ambition reste la même : gagner, toujours. Alonso l’assume : « C’est clair pour tout le monde que c’est encore un projet en développement. Mais quand tu joues pour Madrid, l’objectif est toujours la victoire finale. »
This new generation Madrid has talent, speed, envy. But she still lacks this collective experience that forges champions. And that's where Mbappe comes in.
A natural leader
Parce que Mbappe, ce n’est pas seulement un crack technique. C’est aussi un leader. Pas besoin de crier pour s’imposer : son aura, son palmarès et son exigence suffisent. « Quand le groupe est uni et fort, les joueurs savent vers qui se tourner. Kylian est parmi eux », résume Alonso.
At 26, Mbappe is fully mature. Not too young to hide, not too old to waste time. It's right at the moment the legends turn.
A promising future
As Marseille prepares to challenge Madrilene logre, a question burns the lips of the supporters: what if this time it was the right one? If Mbappe finally turned his quest into a sacre, if this season became the one where history bows before him.
He has talent, he has the stage, he has the team. It remains to cross this last level, the one that separates the great players from the immortals. Because in Real Madrid, the Champions League is not an option, it is an obligation. And Mbappe knows better than anyone.
The whole world is watching. He's moving. Calm down. Starved. Perhaps at the end of this campaign, Kylian Mbappe will finally hold the European Grail in his hands. And that day, no one will ever dare doubt his place in the football pantheon.
Leave a comment