Some call it confidence; others would say it’s arrogance, but the way Kylian Mbappé has always strutted around the pitch and the unerring self-belief he so evidently possesses have played a huge part in his success as a player and marketability as an athlete.
Whether for AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain or France, Mbappé has always thrived in the most intense moments of pressure, be that a hat-trick in a World Cup final or winning goals in the Champions League.
The Frenchman’s protracted move to Real Madrid, then, seemed like the perfect marriage: the superstar player joining the glitzy behemoth, the club he had dreamed of playing for since he was a boy.
But the first few months following the union have been rocky, it’s fair to say, even if some early talk of a crisis is well wide of the mark.
Mbappé’s 11 goals and two assists in 21 games across all competitions so far this season is certainly not a bad return for a forward settling into his new club – but Mbappé isn’t just any player, and Real Madrid is not just any club.
The nadir of his start to life in Madrid came only last week, when Mbappé missed two costly penalties in the space of seven days in defeats to Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao.
A big mistake in a match where every detail counts,” Mbappé wrote on an Instagram story after the Athletic defeat. “I take full responsibility for it.
“A difficult moment but it’s the best time to change this situation and show who I am.”
The 25-year-old helped to alleviate some of the early pressure on his shoulders by scoring the third goal in Real’s 3-0 win over Girona in La Liga on Saturday, but Mbappé is still some way off the lofty standards he has previously set for himself.