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August 25, 2024

Mbappé and Lamine Yamal Gear Up for La Liga’s Next Epic Showdown – La Liga

Kylian Mbappé’s long-anticipated arrival at Real Madrid is a story that has been unfolding for years. Having first trained with the club at just 13 and returning at 25, he is finally set to don the iconic white jersey. This saga, repeatedly hinted at and eagerly awaited, seemed destined to happen. As he once said, “I knew this was my destiny,” and the world echoed that sentiment, it still felt surreal to see him back at Valdebebas last week.

With the start of the 2024-25 La Liga season just around the corner, it promises to be a pivotal chapter for both Mbappé and the league itself. Regardless of how it unfolds, this season will forever be marked by his presence, whether as a defining moment or simply a new beginning.

This has taken long enough. “I was close two years ago, three years ago,” Mbappé stated. And everything else. When Zinedine Zidane drove him to the team’s training pitches in 2012, the young man—who wasn’t exactly a child—was invited to train with Real Madrid. He inquired whether he should remove his shoes while in the car. He took his own photo and met Cristiano Ronaldo, whose posters adorned his bedroom wall. You’ve probably seen countless pictures of him staring up at them. While living in Paris, he even wrote and published a book called My Name is Kylian. It was about a boy who had white-colored dreams in which Ronaldo and Zidane visited him. It was anything but subtle.

His father has been announcing to the world for eight years that he is a Real Madrid fan and has aspired to sign Cristiano Ronaldo for seven of those years. “Seven years is a long time,” Indeed, it has frequently felt like a waste, as he stated, and it has felt like that as well. He is currently 25 years old. Though it was “done” numerous times but never completed, it is now finished—better late than never. Or was it perhaps better late, period, the wait giving it greater significance, a better fit?

At his unveiling, Mbappé walked out and looked up at the Santiago Bernabéu with a “wow”, then signed off with a “1, 2, 3, Hala Madrid” – a nod to Ronaldo, who had done the same, in 2009. Gareth Bale cost more than Ronaldo, and so did Eden Hazard, but no signing was as big as that until this. A footballer long since called to lead a new era, post-Messi and Ronaldo: almost 80,000 people were there to see it. He had struggled to sleep the night before, he said.

The Narrative of Mbappé: A New Chapter Begins, but Questions Remain

While Kylian Mbappé will undoubtedly steal the spotlight, the unfolding story is more complex than it appears. Since his presentation, it’s become clear he won’t be the sole focus. As the competitive season approaches, several vital questions arise, particularly concerning his role within the team and how to integrate him effectively with existing players. This leads to an underlying concern: who will step into the void left by Toni Kroos, a genuinely irreplaceable figure?

Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Rodrygo tend to occupy similar attacking spaces, complicating their coexistence on the field. Jude Bellingham, who thrived in a more advanced position last season following Karim Benzema’s unexpected departure, may also need to adjust his game.

 On Wednesday night, all four players started together in the Super Cup final against Atalanta. Additionally, there’s the presence of Endrick, an 18-year-old Brazilian striker, who surprisingly declared his admiration for an unexpected idol: Bobby Charlton. Yes, you read that right.

“I’m not saying we will play the same way. Something will change, but not much,” Carlo Ancelotti insisted. “I think the system we use this season will be a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2, the same as last year. Sometimes we played 4-3-3, sometimes 4-4-2, sometimes 4-2-3-1; we have the resources to play all three.”

As for Mbappé, he says: “I will play where the manager tells me. I come with ambition and humility. The priority is to adapt to the collective.” One comment sounded as if learned from Bale: “I don’t want to score a goal and just go home,” he insisted.

The message surrounding Kylian Mbappé’s arrival is now more precise and readily embraced. Had he joined a year earlier, the reception might have been different, suggesting that this timing could be fortuitous and create a better balance within the squad. He arrives as a superstar, not a savior. Over the past seven years, he may not have secured the Champions League title. Still, Real Madrid certainly did, and they did so repeatedly.

Some have speculated that his signing will make them invincible. While that notion might be alluring, it rarely plays out as expected. Mbappé’s presence benefits Spanish football, a sentiment La Liga president Javier Tebas echoed. Though his words sometimes came across as desperate, emphasizing the league’s commercial appeal over its on-field action, this situation no longer feels like a rescue mission as it once might have. Mbappé needs the league just as much as it needs him. While he will undoubtedly reclaim the spotlight, he hasn’t monopolized it in recent weeks, nor will he do so this season.

There are always other players making their mark. When it comes down to the essence of the game—playing football—Spain excels. This summer alone, they triumphed at Euro 2024, arguably the most impressive champions the tournament has seen. They also claimed the men’s Olympic gold, the European Under-19 Championship, and the women’s World Cup.

 Furthermore, the men’s and women’s Champions League winners hail from Spain. With Mbappé joining the ranks, they boast arguably the world’s best player.

However, the term “arguable” applies here due to the rise of Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, along with Euro 2024 shining a spotlight on various talents, altering perceptions for everyone, including the Spaniards.

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