Mbappé’s Dramatic Start to His Galactico Era
Kylian Mbappé has made dramatic headlines both on and off the pitch as he has started his time at Real Madrid. The French national star has evolved from a young up-and-coming talent to arguably the best player in the world within a few years and now is carrying the weight of his status everywhere he goes. Whether it be critiques of his play in games or his lifestyle outside the Santiago Bernabéu, it seems Mbappé can’t escape the watchful eye of media and public opinions. It all started with just his transfer as he almost immediately began a lawsuit against his former employers Paris Saint-Germain F.C. as he claimed they still owed him €55 million for unpaid wages and bonuses, starting his Los Blancos story off with a bang.
On the field, Mbappé got off to a rocky start. Even though he scored in his Real Madrid debut in the UEFA Super Cup, he went goalless in his first three La Liga matches. However, since then, he has scored seven goals in his 11 La Liga appearances finally finding a groove in the Spanish topflight. The grass is seemingly still not quite greener than it was at PSG as Mbappé has found himself to blame for locker room issues just as he did in Paris. He first had problems with Neymar Jr. at PSG and has now been rumored to have issues with another Brazilian National in Rodrygo, going as far as to photoshop the winger out of Instagram pictures. In teams like Real Madrid that are stacked with stars, there is always going to be a competition to be the number one main guy, and it seems Mbappé is taking the title whether everyone else likes it or not.
Off the pitch, Mbappé is still making headlines as recently it looks like Real Madrid photoshopped the Frenchman out of an advertisement for Adidas on the team’s social media. This was only found when fellow Galactico Jude Bellingham posted the same picture on his Instagram with Mbappé still in the picture. As if that wasn’t enough Mbappé has also informed the French National Team that he will only play in important matches causing ripples through the player’s associations in Europe. He has taken the same stance as the PFA in England where he feels that to protect himself from injury and increase his longevity he wishes to play fewer games. Public and news outlets are having a field day either taking his side or tearing down his stance as the whims of an egotistical 25-year-old who thinks just because he is at the top of Europe he can do whatever he wants.
