Kylian Mbappe has revealed the moment he realized he had hit rock bottom at Real Madrid after missing consecutive penalties against Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao last year.
Mbappe has scored 18 goals in 30 games since signing for the La Liga giants last summer, but his move has not been entirely smooth sailing after Real suffered a few dips in the 2024-2025 season.
The Frenchman failed to score in his first three games for Madrid before making a much-improved run in front of goal, although he had another sub-par spell the following month.
Although Madrid have topped the La Liga table this season, their Champions League campaign has not been as successful after three defeats, one of which came against Liverpool in November.
Arne Slot's Reds won 2-0 thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, with Mbappe kicking himself after Caoimhin Kelleher saved his penalty. His agony continued when he missed another penalty in a 2–1 defeat to Bilbao a week later.
Although Mbappe has since scored seven goals in his last 10, he said this was his low point at the Bernabeu as he showed how he bounced back from a difficult moment.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper AS, he said: “What happened to me was mental. And in Bilbao I realized that I couldn't do worse. Then I said to myself: 'Come on, you didn't come to Madrid to play badly'.”
When asked about his difficult start, he added: “It was not shyness. But you have to come to Real Madrid with humility because it is a team that has won everything and you cannot come with demands, with the assignment 'give me the question'.” ball' No. You come here with the utmost respect… And to work.'
He added that he was not intimidated by the immense pressure of playing for Madrid after scoring a goal in Sunday's 4-1 win over Las Palmas as he took responsibility for his poor form earlier this season.
“Being here is always a dream,” he said. “Every time I get a chance to play here, I'm happy. Even if I didn't play well, I was. It was my fault, no one else's. And now I'm better.”
Mbappe, whose season has also been hampered by two separate injuries, will next face Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League as the team look to qualify for the knockouts.
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