Kylian Mbappé’s start at Real Madrid has been challenging, and recent performances have placed him under scrutiny.
While his numbers are solid—eight goals and two assists in 14 games across all competitions—the former Paris Saint-Germain star has yet to find his stride in Real Madrid’s system.
His first El Clásico didn’t go as hoped, with Real Madrid suffering a disappointing 4-0 loss to Barcelona on October 26 at the Santiago Bernabéu.
On Tuesday night, they endured another tough defeat, this time a 3-1 loss at home to AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League. In both matches, PSG’s all-time leading scorer struggled to make an impact.
Stat highlights Kylian Mbappé’s struggles at Real Madrid
Madrid Universal noted on Twitter that Kylian Mbappé has scored just one goal from his last 30 shots in the Champions League.
Karim Benzema, who netted 354 goals across 648 games for the club, thinks there’s a clear reason why Mbappé has yet to make a big impact in Spanish football. Speaking with El Chiringuito TV this week, the Al-Ittihad star offered his perspective on his fellow Frenchman’s challenges in Madrid.
“For me, Mbappé is not a 9. He’s a left winger,” Benzema told the Spanish media outlet. “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.”
