Kylian Mbappe emerged from Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over one of LaLiga’s top sides, Real Sociedad, with his second consecutive Man of the Match award, having taken his first as a Royal White player before the “break” in another 2-0 win over a strong LaLiga team in Real Betis.
The French superstar made the Anoeta his home, comfortably gliding across the pitch, dropping deep, bringing teammates into the proceedings, and scoring his third goal of the season from the spot.
Ignore the pea-brained fans who understand football in only its most rudimentary, video game-like terms who derided Mbappe as an undeserving Man of the Match winner. Anyone rational could see his impact on Real Madrid.
What stood out the most about Mbappe in this match was how he channeled one of his idols, French striker Karim Benzema, in how he approached the game. He showed the same silky smoothness, ability to hold play up and buy time, and willingness to work the wings, channels, and deeper regions of the pitch.
Mbappe is an even more explosive athlete and adept goal-getter, and he showed the talent that has made him recognized widely as the best player in the world by producing chances from nothing while displaying a smart passing game.
And it was equally wonderful to see how he celebrated with Real Madrid teammates like Vinicius Junior and an injured Brahim Diaz, once again proving the outlandish criticisms of his character and overblown concerns of how he would fit the Madrid locker room.
Mbappe he fits. He more than fits. He thrives and embody exactly what this club have been dreaming of at the striker position with his emerging leadership, all-around quality, eye for goal , elite movement off the ball, and bravery when in possession.
The 25-year-old showed great skill on the ball and incisiveness when cutting from the left or dribbling through the heart of the defense. He was far more active in this game for Real Madrid than he was before at PSG, which is a massive plus for anyone worried about his transition to a more “center forward” role in the Spanish capital.
Anyone doubting Mbappe is seriously deluded. He is going to blow the roof off the Santiago Bernabeu soon. This is only a tip of the iceberg that is about to send LaLiga careening into an era of Real Madrid dominance.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.