Addition of Kylian Mbappe forces shift in strategy that knocks Real Madrid and Florentino Perez off their stride

Florentino Perez may have been keen to grandstand at Real Madrid’s general assembly on Sunday, but some of his stars have been more concerned with just standing still. Almost literally. One player recently complained to friends – and anyone else who would listen – that the forward line does not run enough. It is not just one star’s gripe, either.
You only have to watch some of the matches. Madrid don’t look as finely honed as in recent seasons.

It’s not difficult to see what has changed. Kylian Mbappe has been signed on a wage befitting his status as one of the best in the world. This is the kind of star that Perez has long felt defined Madrid, and his staff have worked hard to get them back to that level over a difficult half-decade in financial terms. The recent Champions League victories were a product of compromise rather than complete power. Madrid had been forensically studious about every signing, ensuring each one fit into a 10-year plan.

No more. They’re back to the biggest. That fits with the bombast at Sunday’s general assembly, where Perez evidently felt so confident in his current position that he took aim at Uefa and putative allies in Fifa over the calendar, reasserted the future of the Super League, and even began moves to alter Madrid’s member-owned structure. The wonder is whether some of this also brings everything full circle, and back to the first time Perez enjoyed such power.

That was in the summer of 2003, when the first Galactico model had been so commercially successful that the president decided to go even further. He insisted on signing the game’s most commercial player, in David Beckham.

It made financial sense but didn’t make football sense. There was no obvious place for Beckham, as illustrated by how his arrival necessitated the sale of crucial defensive midfielder Claude Makelele. A team full of self-assured stars lost their centre of gravity and collapsed, winning nothing for four years.

If it won’t necessarily go that far now, is it possible that Mbappe’s signing represents a modern Beckham-for-Makelele?

As with the former Manchester United winger, that isn’t to question Mbappe as a player. It’s just that there was no real football need for him, and it feels like egos and status have been prioritised over what works for the team.

Madrid’s clear direction has now been diverted. Mbappe has been forced in as number nine, even though his best position is coming in off the left, and his interpretation of the forward role alters the whole dynamic.

Anchored

Madrid are now anchored to when Mbappe runs, which diminishes the movement of other players. Jude Bellingham has been forced out of a role where he excelled, and became the club’s dominant player. Vinicius Junior’s position is wider, even though a licence to come inside previously made him the club’s decisive player. The Brazilian is a big reason why Mbappe isn’t in his best role.

So, Madrid have more high-quality players without the team actually looking higher quality. If anything, they’ve been easier to get at, with little added on.

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Some close to the dressing room feel Mbappe’s goal against Leganes on Sunday was a case in point. It came from Vinicius brilliantly surging through with a piece of individual inspiration, before unselfishly squaring for Mbappe when he could have shot. The French star boosted his numbers but was almost immaterial to the move. Anyone could have been there. The goal didn’t come from Mbappe’s individual quality, but then Madrid aren’t set up to suit that.

As with the Beckham-era Galacticos, it is like they are now arranged to accommodate talent rather than maximise it. Mbappe’s signing has ultimately forced them into changes Carlo Ancelotti didn’t need to make, compounding Toni Kroos’ retirement. Big wages could have been used elsewhere.

This isn’t hindsight either. It was being said by some people close to the top of the club last season,just before the victorious Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund. Many maintained there was no obvious place for Mbappe in the team, but that was accompanied by a common line: “Our president, he can get this star, so he wants him.”

That is the story of Madrid again, but may yet lead to a twist.

It should be acknowledged there were other elements to this signing. Mbappe’s career ambition was to play at Madrid, and it was why they didn’t have to pay as much as expected in wages. The paradox of modern football was that, as with Leo Messi leaving Barcelona, Mbappe was too expensive to have much choice.