The stats behind Kylian Mbappe's indifferent start to life at Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid in spectacular fashion. From the announcement on social media to his unveiling front of 85,000 Los Blancos fans, everything about his signing had a sense of crescendo. And that’s before we mention the thousands of reports spanning two years about the saga that played out as the prologue to his Real Madrid story. 

Whether it was about his fallout with Nasser Al-Khelaifi or his bond with future teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, it grabbed people and it stole headlines. 

The striker had been linked with a move to La Liga for a protracted period but ultimately the end result worked in his favour as he leveraged his free-agent status to secure a lucrative pay package. Although his salary dropped from £630,000 per week at Paris Saint-Germain to around £250,000, a hefty signing-on bonus of £128m more than compensates for the difference. Mbappe is not just any player; he's the next big superstar, poised to take over the mantle from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While he may not be the perfect No.9 - in fact, he's hardly a No.9 at all - his arrival at Real Madrid feels like a natural fit, doesn’t it? 

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Kylian Mbappe Transfer Value - how much is he worth now?    

According to FootballTransfers’ Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model, Mbappe is worth €153.9m.  

This makes him the most valuable player in the world. We also rank him as first in best mobile strikers, first in best players playing in La Liga, and first in best French Players.  

Kylian Mbappe - can he deliver for Real Madrid? 

So the expectations surrounding Mbappe at Real Madrid are immense. From the moment he donned the iconic white shirt, he knew he would be under the spotlight every second of every day. 

One of the biggest concerns about Mbappe's move to Real Madrid was whether he could function as a vital cog in a well-oiled machine, rather than the central lynchpin; some believed that replicating the dominance he enjoyed at PSG would be a cultural challenge at Real Madrid. However, he has consistently proven that working cohesively with others to achieve success on the biggest stages is not an issue for him. After all, this is a player whose maturity and contribution won the World Cup at 19 and nearly emerged victorious again four years later, scoring a hat-trick against Messi's Argentina in the final. 

Mbappe is a modern forward whose strength lies on the left flank, where he can cut inside. But after five games, including the UEFA Super Cup, he has scored just two goals from open play. While this isn’t disastrous, there have been moments that have raised eyebrows, particularly his performance in a 1-1 draw against Las Palmas in La Liga. Mbappe took nine shots in that game, five of which were blocked, and the rest were off-target except for one that was rightly saved, resulting in an xGOT of just 0.11 despite coming from near enough inside the six-yard box. 

He also ended the game with five unsuccessful dribbles and lost seven duels. His overall record in Spain domestically isn’t amazing right now. We can’t get away from the fact he went three La Liga games without finding the net. He has returned an average WhoScored rating of 7.30 for the season so far, so it’s not for lack of trying. And heatmaps show that he’s been in all the right areas, accruing a quite extraordinary 0.93xG per 90 minutes via WhoScored’s new model. 

These are typical teething problems. A normal adjustment to a new league. At PSG, Mbappe enjoyed more possession; in Spain, he has to work harder for it. Comparing Mbappe’s goals to someone like Erling Haaland isn't fair, as he operates in a different role. Mbappe thrives in the inside channels, primarily on the left, and often plays as a false nine, frequently switching positions with Vinicius Junior, as we've seen in the opening games. 

Jude Bellingham sometimes acts as a box-crasher, which allows Mbappe to sit deeper, capitalising on second balls in the box where he can open up his body and take shots. It means he’s not always right in the middle of things where goals are concerned. While everyone expects brilliant displays and a flurry of goals each game, the reality is that Mbappe, despite being a superstar, will look to seamlessly integrate with the rest of the team at Real Madrid. 

He can finally take the pressure off with his new club as they look to continue their dominance in Spain and Europe.

This article was provided by FootballTransfers