Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is soon ready to return to the first team squad after being shut down for a few weeks after dealing with recurring pain in his left knee.
Mbappe is one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or a year after winning the European Golden Shoe, both scoring and creating at a high level as the clear superstar among all the superstars at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Prior to the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Manchester City, Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa took some time in the press conference to single out the Frenchman and gas him up for his best quality, his intelligence.
Arbeloa said of Mbappe, via the Madrid Zone, “Mbappé is an incredibly intelligent player. To me, that’s his best quality, on top of all other amazing qualities he has. He has very smart movement.”
People always praise Mbappe for his pace, his technical ability, and his eye for goal. But they do not praise him enough for his movement, intelligence, and feel for the game, which have always been tremendous and above peers of his age as a youth.
Now, he is a veteran superstar, and it feels like people take Mbappe’s intelligence for granted and thus underrate his football IQ. Arbeloa is so good at going to bat for his players, and it is wonderful to hear him praise Mbappe’s mind as his best attribute.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.