The Frenchman has been among the goals in the Spanish capital, but Los Blancos' brilliant Brazilian will be their main threat in El Clasico
It took Real Madrid almost three years to sort the Kylian Mbappe signing, in the end. He was supposed to join the club on at least two occasions – and came within one immense Paris Saint-Germain contract offer from doing so in 2022. But it was an open secret that the France captain wanted to be a Madrid player. It was simply a matter of when.
Of course, Madrid sealed the deal – on favourable terms, too; Mbappe is their highest earner, but he is not making astronomical money. All told, it seems a good deal for Los Blancos. Except, things might not be perfect. Depending on which school of thought you subscribe to, it seemed that Madrid were signing either the best or second-best player in the world – Erling Haaland would like a word – last summer.
But instead, they might just have brought in the wrong guy. That's because Vinicius Jr, their in-house left winger, is a more impactful player. Mbappe may grab the goals, and snag the headlines, but Vinicius, ahead of claiming the first of what could be many Ballons d'Or, is the better player. And with a Clasico to come, it is Vinicius, not Mbappe, who might make the difference.
GettyEarly struggles
Vinicius has come a long way. The kid that arrived at Madrid from Flamengo was immensely talented, but remarkably unrefined. He spent his first few months at Castilla, the youth team, before being promoted to the senior side. And there, under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane, he struggled. There were moments of quality, but the lasting memories were chances wasted and wrong decisions made. It all culminated in a now-infamous incident in which Karim Benzema was caught on camera telling Ferland Mendy not to pass the ball to the Brazilian, claiming "on my mother, he is playing against us".
The quote inevitably went viral, and only damaged Vinicius' reputation. Here was the second most expensive Brazilian teenager ever, heir apparent to Ronaldo, dubbed a flop before he really had time to adjust. And of course he did. There isn't exactly a glowing track record of Brazilians being thrown into top-tier European competition with immediate success. Even Neymar, a clear future star and viral talent from his teenage years, needed a year to find his form at Barcelona.
But putting on the Madrid white, and stepping out in front of an expectant Santiago Bernabeu, doesn't leave much wiggle room for mistakes. The 'flop' allegations hit quickly.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesBenzema's helping hand
Ironically, for Vinicius, it was the man who once called him out that truly helped him develop his career. There was a vague sense of steady improvement throughout his first three seasons in Madrid – his attacking numbers improving, his starts more frequent. He certainly had a lot to offer.
Benzema, though, unlocked it in full. The duo developed a deadly partnership over the course of the 2021-22 campaign, Vinicius playing a key role in the Frenchman's Ballon d'Or quest and Champions League heroics. The Brazilian assisted Benzema 11 times over the course of the season, and the Frenchman returned the favour on eight occasions. Vinicius finished the season with 40 goal contributions in all competitions – his best return yet – and also scored the winner in the Champions League final. Benzema, meanwhile, scored 44 for Los Blancos and won the Ballon d'Or by the biggest margin in history.
The Frenchman would leave a year later, of course. But it mattered little for Vinicius. He had been unlocked.
GettyRefusing to adapt and evolve
You would not expect a player of Mbappe's quality to be overshadowed, however. After all, this is PSG's all-time top goal-scorer, a World Cup winner as a teenager, and the man who almost prevented Lionel Messi from completing football with a scintillating hat-trick in Qatar.
The issue with Mbappe, though, is that while Vinicius has developed year by year, Mbappe has arguably stagnated. He is still among the best players in world football, but he has rarely adapted or changed; he still plays as an inside forward; he still breaks out the same moves that defenders can't stop; he will still score 30 goals per season without breaking a sweat.
But he hasn't markedly changed in the other elements of his game; he isn't an elite passer, nor particularly tactically flexible; defensively, he is something of a liability, something Luis Enrique highlighted in an impassioned speech last spring: "You're a phenomenon, world class. But that's not enough for me. I need you to lead when it comes to pressing and defending. Do you know what we will have then? A f*cking machine. That's what I want from you in these two months you have left [with PSG]. I want you to go out in style."
Mbappe largely ignored his protestations. PSG were eliminated in the semi-final of the Champions League, and the Frenchman effectively took the last few months off – his manager eager to rotate him out of the side. Even Thierry Henry, perhaps Mbappe's biggest proponent, admitted that PSG might just be better off without him.
Getty ImagesA new position
Piecing everything together in Mbappe's new digs hasn't been easy, either. There was always going to be a tactical conundrum for Carlo Ancelotti, having Vinicius and Mbappe – who play in the same position. Throw in the fact that Jude Bellingham also likes to occupy similar areas, and Rodrygo is reluctant to stay on the right, and there was reason to be concerned about how all of this would come together.
Mbappe has been forced to convert in a way, playing either as a No.9 or occasionally on the right. Ancelotti has made it clear: the left wing spot is Vinicius' to lose. And although the goals have come – Mbappe has eight in all competitions – it doesn't quite look like a coherent system. Neither player is particularly willing to track back, and Madrid are too easily caught in transition. It culminated in Bellingham, who has willingly adapted to a deeper-lying role, caught on camera screaming at the duo to defend in a 2-0 loss to Lille in the Champions League.
But perhaps Ancelotti's decision, in and of itself, tells the real story here: Mbappe is the one who has to adapt – not Vinicius.
