Kylian Mbappe has admitted he used the pain of missing a penalty in the 2-1 defeat to Athletic Club to inspire his recent upturn in form.
The Frenchman endured a torrid start to life with Real Madrid, falling well short of expectations despite what his goal tally may suggest, and found himself under immense pressure earlier this month when he missed from the spot in Bilbao, a week after doing the same against Liverpool.
Since then, however, Mbappe has shown real signs of improvement. He scored against Girona and impressed with an early goal against Atalanta before going off injured, but he returned to run the show in a 3-0 win over Pachuca in Qatar and dazzled in Sunday’s 4-2 win over Sevilla.
“I can do a lot more,” Mbappe said after the game. “I know I have a lot more football in my legs than I’m showing.
“But, as I said before, I’ve been improving in the last few games. Bilbao did me good, because I hit rock bottom; missing that penalty… I realised that I had to give my all for this shirt. Play with personality.
“We are getting to know each other better. My arrival changed many things in the team, but the adaptation, as the coach said, is over. I feel very good and you can see on the field that I understand the rest of the players better. And that we are all playing much better now.”
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also continued his support of Mbappe, laughing as he reminded journalists he never doubted the Frenchman despite never-ending waves of questions about his struggles.
“His adaptation period is over,” Ancelotti declared. “He has shown that, sometimes, I am right!
“He has been self-critical and, thanks to this attitude, he has been able to overcome a difficult situation. He is already showing all his quality.”
