It’s better late than never for Kylian Mbappe, as he has finally completed his dream move to Real Madrid. After spending more than a decade in France, the forward is taking a leap of faith to embark on his journey to Spain. As he follows in the footsteps of Los Blancos legend and his childhood idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, the Frenchman has been cautioned to emulate a career path like CR7 at the Bernabeu and avoid a ‘laid-back’ attitude.
Steve Nicol had some advice for the former Monaco superstar in the latest episode of the ESPN UK show. While discussing Mbappe’s transition from his PSG days to now at Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti, Nicol said, “If Kylian doesn’t come in and make the right statement then there’s no better coach to try and fix it or sort it out.”
The Liverpool icon then mentioned Ronaldo’s discipline at the club. While comparing the ‘two completely different animals,’ the pundit praised the dedication of the Portuguese superstar. Since his first day in the office, CR7 had always exhibited signs of dedication, be it arriving first to training or being the last one to leave the facilities.
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Nicol claimed that Ronaldo’s professionalism was through the roof and he even kept motivating his teammates, something which Mbappe is expected to simulate. “It’s interesting to see what Kylian does. Does Kylian come in with his laidback just-get-me-the-ball attitude? Because if he does, that ain’t going to work,” added Nicol.
It looks like it won’t be as easy as many thought that life would be for Mbappe in Madrid. Even though there’s no price tag for him to justify, the World Champion would certainly be required to prove his worth. After all, he won’t get to enjoy the reign he had at PSG.
Kylian Mbappe will ‘never’ be bigger than Real Madrid
Prior to Steve Nicol’s opinion, discussion ignited about how different it is from Cristiano Ronaldo arriving at Madrid when the club wasn’t enjoying much domestic success, while Mbappe is already joining a winning side. Despite this, Ale Moreno didn’t agree with this take: “Let’s not forget the environment that he’s coming from- PSG, where basically, he called the shots; It was Kylian Mbappe and then everybody else.”
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The former Venezuelan added, “He’s coming in an environment where nobody is bigger than Real Madrid.” He urged Mbappe to keep this thing in mind and urged the winger to sort out how exactly he’ll fit in Carlo Ancelotti and Co.’s side to get the ‘best version’ of himself. Even if the Spanish capital is enjoying domestic success, it would be expected of the new signing to give his best and rally for trophies again.
Despite the anticipation, warnings continue to pour in for Kylian Mbappe regarding his new journey. But it would be interesting to see if he manages to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid career.