Tag: Mbappe

Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa believes fan protests at the Bernabeu came from “people who don’t like” the club as his side beat Levante to move to within one point of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Madrid supporters waved white handkerchiefs before kick-off on Saturday and then aimed boos and whistles at players – in particular Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Federico Valverde – as well as president Florentino Perez.  “I know the source of these chants and campaigns. They come from people who don’t like Real Madrid,” said Arbeloa.

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“It’s a pleasure to have a president who is the most important figure in the history of this club, alongside Santiago Bernabeu.

 “He has achieved everything, and I know the source of these chants.”   The former Liverpool and Real Madrid defender – who replaced Xabi Alonso as manager on Monday – was also targeted during the game.

An inspired Kylian Mbappe scored two fabulous goals to guide Real Madrid to a commanding 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, ending their three-game winless streak in LaLiga.

The win keeps Real in second place with 36 points from 15 matches, one behind leaders Barcelona.

Real started brightly, with Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon called into action within the opening minutes. Misjudgements by the home defence gifted chances to Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, only for Simon to deny both with exceptional saves. However, the hosts’ resistance crumbled in the seventh minute.

Mbappe, receiving a long ball near the halfway line, brushed aside two defenders in a dynamic solo run before curling a stunning strike into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

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The combination of Mbappe and Vinicius Jr terrorised Athletic’s defence throughout the first half, though Madrid’s forwards were often wasteful in front of goal.

Athletic nearly punished Real for their missed chances in the 24^th  minute when Gorka Guruzeta intercepted Federico Valverde’s wayward pass and unleashed a fierce strike, only for Thibaut Courtois to produce a superb reflex save.

Moments later, Courtois thwarted Alex Berenguer’s close-range effort in another display of his agility.

Madrid doubled their lead just before halftime. A patient build-up culminated in Trent Alexander-Arnold delivering a pinpoint cross from the right wing to the far post. Mbappe nodded the ball back inside the six-yard box, where Eduardo Camavinga headed in from close range.

There was still time before the break, however, for Courtois to make another great stop to deny a thunderous Mikel Jauregizar shot from outside the box.

The second half saw Real ease off the tempo, but Mbappe was far from done. In the 59th minute, spotting Simon marginally out of position, the French forward unleashed another curling effort from outside the box to seal the win.

It was Mbappe’s 16^th  goal in 15 games in LaLiga this season, double the eight goals scored by Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who is in second place in LaLiga’s scoring chart.

“It was an important match because we wanted to break the (bad) dynamic,” Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso told a press conference.

“We came in with the necessary preparation and calm. The team played a very complete match. It’s the most well-rounded match we’ve played yet, and in a demanding stadium at that. Now we have to keep going.”

The comprehensive victory will provide Alonso with much-needed momentum as they look to close the gap on Barcelona at the top of LaLiga.

They will face Celta Vigo on Sunday before hosting Manchester City in a highly anticipated Champions League clash at Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday.

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said French superstar Kylian Mbappe was vital to the team for more than just his prolific goal scoring.

The striker slammed home four against Olympiacos in the Champions League last week and has 23 goals in 19 games across all competitions this season.

Mbappe has called on Madrid to be united in recent weeks as the Spanish giants struggle for consistency under Alonso.

 “He’s been very good individually, helping the team a lot,” Alonso told a news conference ahead of today’s trip to face Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.

 “It’s not just about goals for Kylian, which in the end is the most important thing, but he does other hugely fundamental things like leadership, influence, helping his team-mates, and that’s so important day to day.”

Madrid are a point behind champions Barcelona after a third consecutive top flight draw on Sunday, at Catalan minnows Girona.

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Spanish media have speculated Alonso’s future as Madrid coach is at stake if the team do not improve.

The Basque coach admitted he has spoken recently to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez about turning the team’s form around.

 “The conversations are very positive, in a good tone, wanting to improve the results and that’s what we’ve spoken about,” said Alonso, who conceded Madrid have been erratic this season.

 “I think we’ve lacked consistency in our game, and we want to play better in the next one,” continued the coach. “We’ve lost a bit of quality in our play, we’ve lost a little bit of energy.”

Madrid will be without French left-back Ferland Mendy for the visit to Bilbao.

Mendy was “diagnosed with a hamstring injury”, said Madrid in a statement, less than a week after returning from a thigh problem against Olympiacos in the Champions League, for his first appearance of the season.

Spanish media said the new injury would keep Mendy out for around three weeks.

Real Madrid begin their bid for a record-extending 16^th  European Cup today  at home to Olympique de Marseille with coach Xabi Alonso insisting Kylian Mbappe is not impatient to win the trophy and is valued as one of the leaders in the team.

The 26-year-old striker, who helped France lift the 2018 World Cup and reach the 2022 final, has won seven Ligue 1 titles and multiple individual accolades but is still chasing an elusive Champions League crown.

Mbappe moved to Madrid from Paris St Germain last year and saw his former club finally claim their first European Cup while Real fell short in their Champions League title defence after being knocked out in the quarter-finals by Arsenal.

“Kylian is part of the journey, but I don’t see him as impatient. Today we talked about what the Champions League means, but we didn’t talk about May (when PSG won), we talked about today,” Alonso told reporters. “We see a project that’s just beginning. One of the objectives is to win the Champions League sooner rather than later.”

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Asked if Mbappe was a leader within the group, Alonso said, “Without a doubt. Because of his personality, his experience … He’s one of them. When that group comes together, you know who you have to follow. Kylian is one of them.

“Kylian really likes to understand things, the game. Then he brings that individual quality. But it’s not just Kylian, Vinicius Jr or Rodrygo — we need that collective quality for them to achieve those special things.”

Mbappe has scored four goals in four LaLiga games this season, while midfielder Jude Bellingham, who missed Real’s four-match winning start to the season in LaLiga with a shoulder injury, has been named in the squad to face Marseille.

Marseille arrive in Madrid with two wins and two defeats from their opening Ligue 1 fixtures. They have looked solid at home but lost both of their away games, scoring nine goals in their four games while conceding four.

Real lost 1-0 at Ligue 1 side Lille last season in their second match of the league phase, during which they suffered three defeats that left them outside the top eight, forcing the holders into the playoffs to reach the knockout rounds.

“Marseille is a big Ligue 1 team,” Real’s French defender Aurelien Tchouameni said. “I expect a difficult match, in the Champions League, as with great teams.

“I don’t know if all Spaniards know them, but they are a very followed team in France.”

TODAY’S FIXTURES

    Athletic Club vs. Arsenal

    PSV vs.  Union Saint-Gilloise

    Benfica vs. Qarabağ

    Juventus vs.  Dortmund

   Madrid vs. Marseille

    Tottenham vs. Villarreal

Kylian Mbappe says he is not bitter over Paris St-Germain’s Champions League victory less than a year after leaving the club for Real Madrid.

The forward left PSG as the club’s record goalscorer but was unable to win European football’s premier club competition in seven seasons with the French giants before signing for Madrid on a free transfer in July 2024.

PSG cruised past Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first Champions League title on 31 May.

“I didn’t leave too soon; my story with PSG was over. I am not bitter; I had reached the end of the road,” said France captain Mbappe, who scored 256 goals for PSG.

Speaking on Saturday at a news conference before France’s Nations League third-place match with Germany, Mbappe added: “I tried everything, and it was destiny that meant it had to happen without me.

“PSG winning the Champions League without me doesn’t affect me. I was happy – I think they deserved it.

“They’ve had so many years where they struggled. I’ve been there too; I’ve played in every Champions League stage in Paris except for the victory.

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“They’re the best team in Europe. I don’t remember seeing a team win 5-0 in a major final.”

The closest Mbappe came to Champions League success with his boyhood club was a runners-up medal following defeat by Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.

Mbappe’s Madrid, who were knocked out by Arsenal at the quarter-final stage of last season’s Champions League, ended the campaign without a trophy for the first time in four years.

The 26-year-old did enjoy some success, though, after scoring 31 La Liga goals to win the European Golden Shoe.

BBC

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said superstar striker Kylian Mbappe is capable of becoming a legend at the club like all-time top goal-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mbappe idolised Ronaldo while growing up and after joining Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, has equalled the Portuguese striker’s tally of 33 goals in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“What I wish for Mbappe is that he is capable of achieving what Ronaldo did at Real Madrid – and I think that he can do it,” Ancelotti told a news conference. “That means he will be a legend at Real Madrid, like Cristiano Ronaldo is.”

Ronaldo joined Real from Manchester United in 2009 and departed in 2018 as the club’s top scorer with 450 goals.

The 40-year-old, now at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, scored 33 goals in 35 games in his first campaign with Real Madrid.

Mbappe, 26, notched a brace against Leganes in La Liga on Saturday and said it was “very special” to match Ronaldo.

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 “We know what he means for Real Madrid and me, we speak, he gives me a lot of advice,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.

With Madrid still competing on three fronts this season Mbappe has plenty of time to increase his tally.

Ancelotti’s side host Real Sociedad today  in a Copa del Rey semi-final second leg clash, holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in San Sebastian.

Should Madrid go on to win the cup, Ancelotti would become their first coach to lift it on three occasions.

 “To be close to a final motivates me, it motivates the players and it motivates the club,” said Ancelotti.

 “It’s an achievement to play in a final in any competition, so to be so close, to have a small advantage, and because we’ll have the support of our fans obviously motivates us even more.”

UEFA  has opened an investigation into four Real Madrid stars including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior for alleged “indecent conduct” during their Champions League last 16 win over Atletico Madrid.

Madrid’s two superstar forwards, as well as defender Antonio Rudiger and midfielder Dani Ceballos, face potential punishment ahead of their quarter-final first leg clash at Arsenal on April 8.

 “A UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of indecent conduct by Real Madrid CF players,” said the European football governing body in a statement.

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Spanish media reports suggested Real Madrid players are being scrutinised by UEFA for the manner of their celebrations after the win.

UEFA and Real Madrid did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Record 15-time champions and current holders Madrid beat their rivals on penalties at Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium on March 12 after a 2-2 aggregate draw.

The night ended in controversy after Atletico forward Julian Alvarez had a penalty controversially disallowed in the shoot-out for supposedly touching the ball twice.