When Real Madrid announced the signing of Kylian Mbappé for the 2024-25 season, the general feeling was that the club was beginning another era of dominance. The move seemed perfect: one of the best clubs in the world adding one of the most outstanding players on the planet. However, almost two years later, the reality is far more underwhelming and uncomfortable.
An article from Sports Illustrated put forward a provocative idea: that Mbappé, despite his goal scoring numbers, was disrupting the team’s collective functioning. It is important to emphasize that this is the author’s opinion, not an unquestionable fact. Even so, those who have closely followed Madrid during this period can recognize certain signs: the attack has lost fluidity, it is no longer the dynamic offensive side that was expected, and the team’s play seems more conditioned by the Frenchman’s presence than led by him. What is undeniable, however, is that Real Madrid is not winning championships.
Individual talent has never been enough
Madrid was eliminated from the Champions League after losing to Bayern de Múnich (4-3 in the match and 6-4 on aggregate), sits far from the top of the league table, suffered a heavy blow in the Copa del Rey, and has failed to assert dominance in the finals it has played. For a club accustomed not only to competing for everything but to winning everything, this is not just a bad season, it is a sign that something structural is not working as it should.
The case of Paris Saint-Germain offers a direct point of comparison to what is happening in Madrid. After Mbappé’s departure, the team led by Luis Enrique went on to win the Champions League in the 2024-25 season, the first in its history. The coach said it plainly: when Mbappé leaves, we will win titles and that is exactly what happened. Without the French star, the team gained balance and collective cohesion, becoming harder to predict because everyone played for everyone else, contributing regardless of individual status. It increasingly seems that in teams where Kylian plays, his presence demands a very specific style of play that does not always benefit the collective.
This leads to the central question: is Real Madrid better without Mbappé? The answer is not so simple. Kylian remains an extraordinary player, capable at times of deciding matches on his own, but elite football is not built solely on individual talent. Historically, Madrid has been strongest when the collective outweighs any individual name, even the biggest ones.
Mbappé adds goals, but not necessarily improves the system. And when that happens at a club like Real Madrid, the discussion stops being purely tactical and becomes almost philosophical: what matters more, the star or the team?
So far, expectations surrounding Kylian Mbappé have not been met, and it seems unlikely that they will be fulfilled anytime soon. Quite simply, things have not worked as expected. And if time does not correct this situation, everything has its limit; it is only a matter of waiting to see how it ends.
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