After scoring his first brace with Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe reassured fans that he has no pressure to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo in his new club. “I don’t think of Cristiano,” he told journalists when asked if he feels he is in the shadow of the Portuguese.
“With all the respect I have for him, as everyone knows, I’m here to be Kylian,” he explained. The French star finally found the back of the net in LaLiga, after three matches, to give Real Madrid a 2-0 victory over Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday.
The first goal came after Federico Valverde’s backheel assist, and the second from the penalty spot. The 25 year old star was relaxed about the scrutiny he has faced since joining Madrid, who are coming from winning both LaLiga and Champions League last season.
“I have my quality. There’s no pressure. I’m happy, I want to work,” Mbappe told journalists. However, he said that his “only pressure is to adapt to the team,” but despite being three matches without scoring, he was confident that “the goals will come.”
Kylian Mbappe hugs Carlo Ancelotti (y Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
“I’ve scored goals all my career, I’ll score goals for sure. Three games [without scoring] is a lot for me, but it’s OK, I have the confidence of my teammates,” he explained.
Ancelotti praises Mbappe
Mbappé netted his first goal for Madrid last month against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup but went scoreless in LaLiga matches against Real Mallorca, Real Valladolid, and Las Palmas, as Madrid managed only two draws in their first three league games.
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“We’ve never put pressure on him to score goals,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said in his own post-match press conference. “Kylian had a good game. He was very effective in the area, he took his chances, he worked hard,” he explained.
