The Spanish press no longer goes there by four paths. In an implacable article, the famous daily Marca draws an observation that many feared to formulate: what if Kylian Mbappé, despite all his talent, was simply not cut to win the Champions League? The Madrid newspaper compiles nine successive failures in C1, from Monaco to Paris, and notes that each time, the scenario is repeated: canon departure, high hopes, brutal fall.
What Marca says aloud, others whispered him for a long time. Mbappé, by his extraordinary status, exerts a form of pressure on his teammates. He captures attention, concentrates the balloons, aspires responsibilities. But does this influence suffocate collective dynamics? The idea disturbs, but the paper lets it float, suggesting that its presence could unbalance a team instead of transcending it.
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Timing questions. Before Mbappé's arrival, Real Madrid dominated Europe. Following its transfer, the club stopped from the quarters. If the coincidence does not make the culprit, the parallel has something to make thought. For Marca, the white dream turned to gray, and the cup with the big ears has been inaccessible since the tricolor prodigy set his suitcases in Madrid.
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The paper does not call into question the genius of Mbappé. But he underlines that this obsessive quest for the C1 becomes a burden, for him as for his clubs. Each new campaign is experienced as a last judgment. And after nine unsuccessful attempts, even the most indulgent supporters wonder: does the problem come from him?
While this 2024/2025 season is coming to an end, one thing is certain: Mbappé has not yet convinced despite completely correct statistics. More than ever, he must prove that he can win with others. And that his talent can finally result in a collective triumph. Otherwise, the shadow of this curse could well end up sticking to him definitively with his skin.
