Emotional Kylian Mbappe makes dream start at Real Madrid

WARSAW, August 16

Kylian Mbappe could not have anticipated a better start to his Real Madrid career as he scored a debut goal to help his new team win the European Super Cup. Mbappe fired the ball into the top corner from Jude Bellingham’s pass to double Real’s lead in a 2-0 victory over Atalanta.

“Before the game, we didn’t even talk about (whether he would score), we just expected it to happen,” Player of the Match Bellingham said. “It’s a kind of player who writes his own history... Time and time again, he delivers for his team and he did it again tonight.”

Mbappe, who scored 44 goals for Paris St Germain last season, clinched his first European trophy after winning seven Ligue 1 titles with PSG and Monaco. He previously came closest to European glory in 2019-20, when PSG finished Champions League runners-up after losing the final 0-1 to Bayern.

“Mbappe did really well, he adapted really well to the team” Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “He combined well with Vinicius Junior and with Bellingham. Of course, we have a lot of quality, but we have to play together and we did that tonight.”

After joyfully posing with his first continental silverware, Mbappe appeared overwhelmed by emotion. “It was a great night. It’s a great moment for me. And we won a title, which is important — at Madrid you always have to win,” he said. “And with the goal too — it is important for a striker like me. But the most important thing has been to have the pleasure of playing with this team.”

Mbappe also helped Ancelotti become the coach who has brought the most major trophies to Real Madrid, the Italian levelling the tally of 14 by Miguel Munoz who managed the Spanish giants from 1948 to 1958. — Reuters