Mbappe’s Big Chance

After his nightmare at Anfield, it's time for Mbappe to take his opportunity at Real Madrid.

This is a guest article by Chirag Sharatkumar. Subscribe to Sideline Stories.

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There’s a vacancy at Real Madrid now. It’s temporary, fleeting even, but open.

And the moment has arrived for Kylian Mbappe. Not the grand unveiling, the flashing lights, or the glossy headlines that greeted his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu. That moment, however rich in spectacle and symbolic power, has passed. This is something else entirely. It’s quieter, sharper, borne not of celebration but necessity.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Or maybe it was. Maybe this was inevitable all along. When Mbappe joined Madrid, he walked into perhaps the only team in the world that had a left winger who was as good, or better, than him in Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian has been running the show for some time now in Madrid and is thriving again this season with 12 goals and eight assists in 18 matches.

Credit: Instagram - @k.mbappe

Given the obvious positional conundrum, Carlo Ancelotti moved Mbappe central. On paper, it seemed just about perfect. He is rapid, has a quality first touch, is incredibly intelligent in his positioning, and is a lethal finisher in the box. But football is not played on paper and Mbappe has been far from perfect.