Mbappe says mental shift helped change his Real Madrid ‘situation’

By AFP
January 22, 2025
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe can be seen in this picture.— AFP/file

MADRID: Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe said Tuesday a shift in mentality helped him improve his ´situation´ in the Spanish capital after struggling initially following his dream move from Paris Saint-Germain.

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The French superstar played inconsistently in his first months at Madrid after joining last summer, but in recent weeks has returned to his devastating peak.

“You always have to be calm and focus on your game and what you can improve,” Mbappe told a news conference ahead of Madrid´s Champions League clash with RB Salzburg on Wednesday. “I knew that I could change the situation, and now the situation has changed.”

Mbappe missed penalties against Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao towards the end of 2024 and admitted at the time he had “hit the bottom”. The 26-year-old pledged to show his personality and overcome his shaky start, and now has scored eight goals in his last 10 games across all competitions. “It was more of a mental thing... I knew I was good physically, good with the team, the group, but I had to do more and I knew it,” continued Mbappe.

“It was the moment to say that now I had to change everything, change the situation, because I didn´t come to Madrid to play badly. “Now it´s all changed, and I have to continue, because playing well for a month is good, but it´s easy.”

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