Since his arrival at Real Madrid last summer, Kylian Mbappé has not yet completely convinced observers. After a complicated start with the Merengue, the French striker nevertheless seems to be gradually making his mark. His last three appearances in the Madrid jersey bear witness to this: 3 goals and 2 assists, an encouraging record which illustrates the rise in power of the captain of the Blues.
Despite everything, Jorge Valdano, former sporting director of the Blancos, wanted to put the difficult acclimatization of the ex-Parisian into perspective. According to him, the Bondynois’ adaptation to his new environment is a major challenge, especially for a player who has only known Ligue 1 until then.
“Anxiety is the footballer’s great enemy”
“Mbappé left his country, France, for the first time, and this took him sociologically out of his comfort zone. This may have led him to a process of anxiety, and anxiety is the great enemy of the footballer”declared the ex-Argentinian striker in an interview for the German newspaper South German Zeitung.
The 1986 world champion also points out a major cultural difference between France and Spain regarding media pressure around football: “In France, football does not have as much cultural importance as here in Spain. This is simply seen on the DAZN television channel, which has perhaps between 100,000 and 200,000 subscribers in France. Real Madrid, on the other hand, is not only the news leader on Sundays, but also on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. »
