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In the turmoil during this first part of the season at Real Madrid and in the French team, Kylian Mbappé found a smile again this Sunday. Good news after long weeks of worry. Since the affair in Sweden, Mbappé seems deeply affected and his level is therefore very far from his usual standards. As a reminder, according to the Swedish press, the Merengues player is reasonably suspected of rape and sexual harassment. This is the lowest level of suspicion in the Swedish legal pyramid. The crime was allegedly committed on Thursday October 10 in a hotel in the city center of the Swedish capital and reported two days later. He is still under investigation by the Swedish police today and the search continues. All this media hubbub has not helped the French player, already in bad shape on the pitch with glaring poor form, particularly in the Champions League. Indeed, in the six matches played, Kylian Mbappé struck 30 times for only one small goal scored – against Stuttgart on the first day of C1. A huge shortage which he will have to put an end to as quickly as possible.
During the two international breaks, Kylian Mbappé was not present with the Blues. Absent in October for slight physical problems and in November by official decision of Didier Deschamps, the native of Bondy was not idle during these downtime: “It did me a lot of good to train here, to be with the young people from the reserve who I didn’t know and who have a lot of quality. It was beneficial for me to run, to train, and I saw it today (Sunday) because I felt good physically“, first declared the French striker who confirms having taken advantage of the last international break to recharge his batteries and refocus on his game. Back at the turbin this Sunday afternoon, the former Paris Saint-Germain player found his way back to the line-ups in La Liga against Leganés. Served on a silver platter by his teammate Vinicius Junior, Mbappé concluded in complete peace to open the scoring, a few minutes after seeing his first successful attempt refused for an offside position.
Smile found!
Questioned after his team’s victory by Real Madrid TV, Kylian Mbappé was keen to return to this meeting which he considers successful overall: “I think I had a good match. I’m starting to hang out with my teammates. I played in a different position from the last matches. But I can play all positions of the attack. The next one, I might change position again but I’m ready to help the team and give my best. Anyway, playing on the right, on the left, in the center, that’s the story of my career and I don’t care. What I want is to play well, help the team and score a lot of goals“. In a post-match press conference, Carlo Ancelotti defended the captain of the French team, particularly for his performance in a new position: “We changed the position of the attackers, with Mbappé on the outside and he played well, as did Vinicius on the inside. The team controlled very well the good feelings we had in the match against Osasuna and we confirmed it today”. Aligned for the first time this season in the left lane alongside Vinicius up front, the player started his match with some great actions.
A victory (3-0) which allows Real Madrid to achieve a second success after the previous success against Osasuna (0-4) since the Clasico debacle: “We came here to win because we knew the importance of this match. We had to win after Barça’s draw. We started the match well, with pace, good combinations with one or two touches of the ball and settling into the Leganés camp. We scored the first goal and it’s always important to score it quickly when you play away. And then, at the end of the match, we scored the second and third goals“. This Sunday, November 24, Kylian Mbappé therefore returned to the field, after an international break marked by an absence with the Blues and questions about his mental state, fueling debates in Spain and in France. A strong comeback which gives him confidence before the clash against Liverpool in the Champions League.