August 15 – A goal as well as a trophy. Not a bad debut for Real Madrid’s new superstar Kylian Mbappé at the club he always dreamed of playing for.
France’s captain pulled on the famous white jersey of the Spanish champions for the first time in a competitive match and marked the occasion with the second goal in a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in Poland on Wednesday.
Fede Valverde broke the deadlock from close range for the Champions League holders in the 59th minute after the Italian Europa League winners held their own in the first half before Mbappe rifled home the second.
“It was a great night, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, to play with this shirt, with this badge, for these fans,” Mbappe told Movistar, speaking in fluent Spanish.
Madrid’s triumph ensured coach Carlo Ancelotti equalled former Los Blancos coach Miguel Munoz on a joint-record 14 titles won at the helm of the club but his biggest challenge will be fitting his array of attacking stars into the team.
“The most difficult thing, what we are looking for, is finding balance in the team with the quality we have up front,” Ancelotti said. “If we are able to do this, we can have a very good season. We have a fantastic squad, to be honest.”
Mbappe was given a standing ovation by Madrid’s fans after Ancelotti brought him off in the 83rd minute, with Madrid’s La Liga campaign starting on Saturday against Real Mallorca.
“I am sure we will get better and me first of all – but today is a positive step,” added the former PSG forward.
Luka Modric, the veteran Croatian who was one of five second-half substitutes for Madrid, lifted the trophy high to a backdrop of gold confetti before Mbappé got his hands on his first piece of silverware at Madrid.
“I thought he (Mbappé) was amazing before and now you get a chance to play with him, you see the details up closer – the speed, the quality, the work without the ball, the way he is as a leader, the way he communicates,” said teammate Jude Bellingham. “I can’t speak highly enough of him really.”
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