Leader on and off the field – How Kylian Mbappe is setting the standards at Real Madrid | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe is the centre of attention at Real Madrid, and rightfully so given how the player has made the team’s success revolve around his good form this season.

With Xabi Alonso arriving as the team’s new manager, it was unclear how the Frenchman was going to be placed in his plans or how he would adapt to the new system.

If the progress he has made so far this season is anything to go by, however, it has suited him to perfection and allowed him to flourish like never before at the club.

Such is his confidence, that Mbappe is now emerging as a leader of the team, both on and off the field, all in just his second season at the club.

Madrid Universal brings you three facets of Mbappe’s presence at Real Madrid that exemplify how he is growing to be a leader of the dressing room.

The goalscoring responsibility

If one is to talk about Mbappe’s leadership at Real Madrid this season, one need not look much beyond his numbers to see the responsibility he has taken up for the team in attack.

For a team whose attacking department seemed to be collapsing without a striker after Karim Benzema’s departure, Mbappe has well and truly stepped up and taken charge for Los Blancos. At this point in the season, he has scored over half of the team’s goals.

The player already has a staggering 13 goals and three assists in La Liga and nine goals in the UEFA Champions League – numbers that are outstanding given that he has only played 18 games and achieved the same from an xG of around 17.8.

His performances go a long way in urging his teammates forward, for seeing one man give it his all in the finish third is as much motivation as a dressing room can ask for. Mbappe has been a leader by example on the field.

A leader on the field

If Mbappe leading by example with his goals was not enough, his getting comfortable at the Spanish capital is also bringing out the inner vocal leader that he has been all his career.

In Real Madrid’s recent game against Elche, the Frenchman was seen taking up responsibility on the field when the team faced setbacks, vocally communicating and demanding better from his teammates and even urging them forward when hope seemed low.

Embracing leadership. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

He may not have got on the scoresheet that night, but Mbappe was seen speaking to the referee when the opposition goalkeeper was wasting time and even motivating and pushing the team to score an equaliser when Elche went ahead.

It was even caught on camera that Mbappe angrily reprimanded some of his teammates on the field, pushing them to do better both on an individual and group level.

Mbappe’s growing into such a vocal on-field leader, needless to say, shows his commitment to Alonso’s project and the club’s crest.

Responsibility with the press

Recent weeks have been filled with turmoil for Real Madrid, especially with internal clashes seemingly destroying the relationship between Xabi Alonso and some key figures in the dressing room.

The situation escalated to the point where some reports called out that players were hoping for Alonso’s sacking soon and that his disciplinarian attitude did not appease them.

Amidst all that turmoil, Mbappe’s poker against Olympiacos and the win that resulted helped Real Madrid make some progress in moving past the roadblock.

The Frenchman, however, spoke to the media after the game with great maturity and sent out a powerful message to all his teammates.

“I know people talk a lot from the outside. When you play for a club like Madrid, it’s normal for people to talk,” he began.

“We have to protect the players, the coach and everyone in the squad because, at the end of the day, we’re all in this together. At the end of the day we’re together and with all the Madrid fans,” he added.

Mbappe’s words, needless to say, come as arrows directed at individuals creating internal turmoil at the club and go a long way in demonstrating the leadership Mbappe is taking to help patch the team back together.

The responsibility he showed facing the press even went on to make an impact on the portrayal of the situation by the media.

Conclusion

Mbappe’s first season at Real Madrid was special enough on an individual level with the player walking away with the Pichichi award and the Golden Boot. This time around, however, his adaptation to the club is seemingly complete.

Now settled into his role as the team’s talisman, leading attacker and goalscorer, Mbappe is flourishing on the field and making use of the same to establish himself as a leader of the dressing room.

There is a long way to go for Mbappe, but his on-field performances, leadership and responsibility in handling the club’s situation with the media go a long way in helping Los Blancos find their footing after a mid-season rut.

Should Mbappe keep up the same attitude and passion towards the club, captaincy may not be too far off.