Tag: Kylian Mbappé

Thibaut Courtois loved that Endrick didn’t pass to Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Jr.
18Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Thibaut Courtois loved that Endrick didn’t pass to Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Jr.

Young Real Madrid star striker Endrick came off the bench against Stuttgart in his Champions League debut and produced yet another wondergoal that will live in the history books. Channeling his childhood hero Bobby Charlton, Endrick unleashed an absolute rocket from way outside the box to beat the Stuttgart keeper for full pace, having carried the ball out of his own half. Most young players would not have shot in that situation, because Endrick was actually leading a three-on-two counterattack. And who were the other two in the three? Literally the two best forwards in the world, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. But Endrick, as he said in the press conference after the Real Madrid win, believed the best option was to shoot from range instead of passing. And when you have his striki...
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Kylian Mbappe flubbed Jude Bellingham’s assist of the season contender
17Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Kylian Mbappe flubbed Jude Bellingham’s assist of the season contender

Real Madrid superstar midfielder Jude Bellingham made his return to the team on Tuesday night in the Champions League after suffering an injury, and he didn't miss a beat for the Merengues. He helped Real Madrid beat one of his former Bundesliga foes Stuttgart 3-1, as Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, and unforgettably Endrick all found the back of the net in this one. Mbappe, however, could have had two goals, because he flubbed a ridiculous, defense-splitting through ball from Bellingham in midfield, as the England international found the tiniest of cracks in the Stuttgart defense to spring his world-class striker through. Unfortunately, as you can see here, Mbappe could only produce a tame touch of the caliber that would even make Romelu Lukaku go, "Woof, you should have done bet...
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Kylian Mbappe looked like the striker Real Madrid dreamed about against Real Sociedad
14Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Kylian Mbappe looked like the striker Real Madrid dreamed about against Real Sociedad

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 stri...
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An early look at the 10 best candidates to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or
9Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Champions League, Features

An early look at the 10 best candidates to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or

I always find it funny how the Ballon d'Or narrative changes over the course of a year - or season, now that the timeframe of the award has changed. Like, when the 2023/24 season first started, all anyone could do was praise Jude Bellingham for taking LaLiga by storm, putting Real Madrid back on top, and scoring bangers in El Clasico to help affirm Real's return to dominance. The guy was leading the league in goals as a midfielder, and while his performances did decline a bit in the second half of the season, we are talking about a decline from being by far the best player in Europe to "just" being great. And it's not like Bellingham was bad at the Euros either. England almost won it, and he was literally the best player in the Final which England came agonizingly close to winning...
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Vinicius Junior has already adjusted for Kylian Mbappe
6Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Vinicius Junior has already adjusted for Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid left winger Vinicius Junior is the favorite to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or above his highly-rated teammates, and that is precisely because of his ability to rise to the occasion on the grandest stage of them all, the Champions League. In both of his Champions League triumphs, Vinicius Jr. has been THE standout attacking player on the pitch, creating havoc and bamboozling defenses with his electrifying dribbling. Although he was once derided for his finishing as a young Real Madrid player, Vinicius Jr. has scored double-digit goals in three different LaLiga seasons, including 15 in under 2,000 minutes last season as apart of a two-man attack after Karim Benzema's departure to Saudi Arabia. Vinicius Jr. proved he could lead Real Madrid to a Champions League crown without Be...
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Is Kylian Mbappe going to be Karim Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldo?
4Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Is Kylian Mbappe going to be Karim Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldo?

New Real Madrid superstar forward Kylian Mbappe got on the scoresheet for the first time as a Madridista on Sunday, putting both goals in the back of the net in a 2-0 win over Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu. You could almost feel the collective sigh of relief from the home fans through the screen when Mbappe scored the first, latching onto a world-class backheel from midfielder Fede Valverde to dispatch a straightforward finish - one he had seen his idol Cristiano Ronaldo replicate hundreds of times at the Bernabeu before him. We all know Mbappe emulates Cristiano. From his celebration to his chop to his style of cutting inside from the left wing, Mbappe plays like Cristiano and even tries to act like him, performing many of the same gestures as CR7 did on his Bernabeu presentat...
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Kylian Mbappe is only Real Madrid’s second-biggest problem right now
29Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Kylian Mbappe is only Real Madrid’s second-biggest problem right now

Real Madrid are having a very rough start to the 2024/25 LaLiga season. Although a ferocious first half helped the Merengue club secure all three points over Real Valladolid, they were unable to defeat Las Palmas or Mallorca. Out of three easy matches, Real Madrid have procured just around half (five) the points, drawing 1-1 to both Mallorca and Las Palmas in matches they honestly deserved to lose. The most recent match was particularly humbling, with Real Madrid performing woefully in the first half, with slow starts almost becoming an early hallmark of this year's Carlo Ancelotti-coached side. After another lethargic, goalless game from Kylian Mbappe, all the headlines are focused on the highly-paid free agent signing, and it is fair to begin to wonder if Real Madrid aren't any ...
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Chelsea phenom scores Kylian Mbappe-esque goal
24Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Chelsea phenom scores Kylian Mbappe-esque goal

Chelsea have created a club philosophy under new owner Todd Boehly, and that is to focus on young talents who have the potential to be special and will be secured by the club for at least five years. This summer, Chelsea have added a mix of those kinds of players, such as goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, along with some more established attacking players like Pedro Neto and Joao Felix. But their biggest gem of the summer window is actually a young prospect who will be joining the main Chelsea squad for the 2024/25 season, as he has the ability to become the club's biggest star - or, at the very least, at the level of Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku. Estevao Willian has yet to play a minute in a top European league, but the 17-year-old from Palmeiras is doing so well that Chelsea fan...
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Takeaways: The problem with Kylian Mbappe, Man City more dangerous, the Thiago Motta touch
20Aug By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Champions League, Features

Takeaways: The problem with Kylian Mbappe, Man City more dangerous, the Thiago Motta touch

Should Real Madrid be worried about Kylian Mbappe? Are Manchester City even better in 2024/25? And what has Thiago Motta already brought to the table for disappointments Juventus? Here are three takeaways from around the Champions League after the first Matchday of the 2024/25 LaLiga, Premier League, and Serie A seasons. The Thiago Motta touch Juventus finished third in Serie A last season, but that was honestly far from an accomplishment because the Bianconeri were 20 points behind bitter rivals Inter Milan in a title race that they were never truly in. Thus, Juve found an excuse to can Max Allegri and were able to replace him with the "It" coach in Italian football, Thiago Motta, who was agonizingly close to leading Bologna to a historic Champions League qualification. Motta p...
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Euro 2024 Takeaways: You already knew about Ollie Watkins, Kylian Mbappe’s hunger, farewell to Cody Gakpo
10Jul By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

Euro 2024 Takeaways: You already knew about Ollie Watkins, Kylian Mbappe’s hunger, farewell to Cody Gakpo

Here are the biggest takeaways after the Euro 2024 semifinals in which Spain defeated France 2-1 and England took down the Netherlands 2-1. Ollie Watkins was always this good With a bit of individual brilliance and a perfectly-tucked finish into the far corner, Ollie Watkins wrote his name in the history books by firing England back into a European Championship Final with a 90th-minute winner against the Netherlands. After Jude Bellingham unforgettably played the role of the hero with his late bicycle kick against Slovakia, it was now a more underrated player's turn to prove the Three Lions' proverbial "clutch gene" in the semis. Watkins didn't have the over-the-top Adidas commercial and wasn't hyped up as some sort of a savior or a Ballon d'Or candidate before the Euro 2024 tourna...
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