It’s been a challenging start to life at Real Madrid for former Paris Saint-Germain standout Kylian Mbappé. Moreover, it’s been a rough couple of matches that have put the Frenchman under the criticism spotlight.
Despite putting up respectable stats—eight goals and two assists in 15 matches across all competitions—the former PSG star has struggled to find his best form. He hasn’t made a significant impact in the Merengue style of play.
The 25-year-old’s first El Clásico didn’t go as he had hoped, as Real Madrid suffered a disappointing 4-0 defeat to FC Barcelona on October 26 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Moreover, the Spanish giants suffered a 3-1 home loss to AC Milan, making it two straight lopsided losses at home in which they’ve been outscored 7-1. In both contests, PSG’s all-time leading goal scorer has failed to make an impact.
Karim Benzema weighs in on Kylian Mbappé’s struggles
Karim Benzema, who scored 354 goals in 648 appearances for the club, believes there’s an apparent reason why Mbappé hasn’t yet made a significant impact on Spanish football. In an interview with El Chiringuito TV this week, the Al-Ittihad star shared his thoughts on his fellow Frenchman’s struggles in Madrid.
“For me, Mbappé is not a 9. He’s a left winger,” Benzema said (h/t TEAMTalk). “But the problem is that at left wing, there’s Vinicius Jr. Mbappe knows that there is a lot of pressure at Real Madrid. At Madrid, you go two, three matches without goals, they’ll kill you.
“I think he has to learn to live with this. He has to put on a good impression in matches. Every match is a new one, and he has to score goals because they brought him to score goals only.”