Kylian Mbappe has admitted he used the pain of missing a penalty in the 2-1 defeat at Athletic Club to inspire his recent surge in form.
The Frenchman has endured a terrible start to life with Real Madrid, well below expectations despite what his goal tally might suggest, and came under huge pressure earlier this month when he missed out on the spot in Bilbao, a week after doing the same against Liverpool.
However, since then, Mbappe has shown real signs of improvement. He scored against Girona and impressed with an early goal against Atalanta before going off injured but returned to run the show in a 3-0 win over Pachuca in Qatar and shone in Sunday’s 4-2 win over Sevilla.
I can do a lot more, Mbappe said after the match. “I know I have a lot more football in my legs than I show.
“But, as I said before, I’ve improved in the last few games. Bilbao went well for me, because I hit rock bottom; I missed that penalty… I realized that I have to do my best for this shirt. Play with personality.
“We are getting to know each other better. My arrival has changed many things in the team, but the adaptation, as the coach said, is over. I feel very well and it can be seen on the field that I understand the other players better. And now we all play much better. “
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also continued to back Mbappe, laughingly reminding reporters that he never doubted the Frenchman despite endless waves of questions about his struggles.
“His adjustment period is over,” Ancelotti said. “He showed that sometimes I am right!
“He was self-critical and thanks to that attitude he was able to overcome a difficult situation. He is already showing all his quality.”
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
