Scalded cat fears cold water, to use the saying. Is this why the announcement in our columns of the upcoming arrival of Kylian Mbappé did not cause an earthquake in the Spanish capital?
“He showed us all the colors, this one, and for so long,” smiles Angel, 41 years old. “Now we’re used to him. He comes, he doesn’t come…”. At his side, Isaac, 23, adds “and then this evening, there is the derby against Atlético, so Mbappé, maybe we will talk about it from 11:30 p.m. after having replayed the match”.
Kylian Mbappé is not yet at the top of the priorities for Real Madrid supporters. “Atlético is our big rival with Barça,” explains José, 45. “For several years, the derbies have become more and more heated with the personality of Simeone (the Atletico coach) and tonight, it is the most important for us.” A derby which ended in a frustrating draw: 1-1. Real Madrid dominated for a good part of the match, being caught in the last seconds of the match. However, with this result, the Merengues are 2 points ahead of their runner-up, Girona.
“I will not discuss this subject”
“If Mbappé comes, it would be extraordinary,” explains Socrates, 62 years old, including 25 as a Merengue player, “he is one of the three best players in the world.” The about-face of 2022 also happened there. “What he did to us two seasons ago was still difficult,” warns Juan, 42, “afterward, if he comes and scores three goals in a match, everything will be forgotten.” .
Only Spanish social networks were the most active. Everyone had their team composition for next year, with Mbappé generally at the forefront of the attack with Vinicius, Rodrygo to support him, while Bellingham slipped further down, into the heart of the game.
The club, for its part, did not issue a reaction. No more Carlo Ancelotti, the coach after the match. Question of agenda and priority. The Italian had already addressed the Mbappé case and preferred to say: “I will not discuss this subject”. Move along, nothing to see.
In May 2022, Real Madrid supporters shut down Kylian Mbappé. Photo LP/Arnaud Journois Arnaud Journois
“It’s a subject they don’t want to discuss,” explains a regular at the Real Madrid training center. “As soon as we talk to them about Mbappé, they shut down and prefer not to comment on the information surrounding a possible arrival.”
Real Madrid also has a well-oiled communication strategy: no announcement before the end of the season or before if the results do not go in the right direction and in the face of supporters who could express discontent. David Alaba, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger, to name a few, can attest to this.
“He was born to play for Real”
Is this why the press did not react more than that when the information from Le Parisien came out? While the radios broadcast the matches of the 23rd day of La Liga, the media focused on the facts. No big announcements from the Madrid written press either. If Marca had already asked the captain of the France team to make a decision on his future on Thursday, AS, the other sports daily published in Madrid, simply recounted the facts.
Only Tomas Roncero, specialist columnist for Real in the daily and accustomed to great lyrical flights in the newspaper as in the popular football program “El Chiringuito”, was content with a “seeing is believing” concerning the possible arrival of the Frenchman in the Spanish capital during the next summer transfer window.
For its part, the site “Relevo” had revealed that the subject “Mbappé” was approached in a positive manner and as a possible arrival within the Madrid locker room in the same way as Alphonso Davies, the left back of Bayern, whose rumor leads the Real Madrid side.
Regardless, the Mbappé subject is far from over on either side of the Pyrenees. “But it’s worth it,” explains Ruben, 32, “he was born to play for Real.”
