There is a natural, and wholly understandable, assumption among the paying public that if a storied club with a great squad add another world-class player then the obvious conclusion will be further success and even more trophies. Which is precisely what the vast majority of Real Madrid fans, and interested football neutrals, will already believe about Kylian Mbappé’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu.
But it doesn’t automatically work that way. There are handy examples in Spain to use as guide marks. When Ronaldo Nazário joined Los Blancos in 2002 as a recent World Cup winner and a Ballon D’Or imminent, he was embellishing an-already brilliant squad blessed with the likes of Iker Casillas, Zinédine Zidane, Raúl, Fernando Morientes and Luís Figo. They didn’t win the Champions League that season – indeed Ronaldo never did.
At Barcelona, when Thierry Henry signed, he was harnessing his talents to Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Victor Valdés, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Co. – but that 2007/08 season was less than stellar. Even when Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaká all joined Real Madrid in the same summer of 2009, it took the club a couple of years to begin to profit from their outright brilliance.
The thing about the current era is that coach Carlo Ancelotti knows every trick, technique and tactical nuance required to maximise the Frenchman’s outstanding abilities and mesh them with a squad which, though now missing Toni Kroos and Nacho, recently conquered Spain and Europe. When Ancelotti was in charge at AC Milan, he needed to be ultra-flexible in order to fit together so many disparate superstar talents and, thus, reach three Champions League finals, winning two. Think of how, during his first spell at Madrid, Ancelotti brilliantly created what became known as the BBC (Gareth Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) by redeploying Ángel Di María as a midfielder rather than a winger. That was inspirational. And Madrid won the Champions League.
There is a natural, and wholly understandable, assumption among the paying public that if a storied club with a great squad add another world-class player then the obvious conclusion will be further success and even more trophies. Which is precisely what the vast majority of Real Madrid fans, and interested football neutrals, will already believe about Kylian Mbappé’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu.
But it doesn’t automatically work that way. There are handy examples in Spain to use as guide marks. When Ronaldo Nazário joined Los Blancos in 2002 as a recent World Cup winner and a Ballon D’Or imminent, he was embellishing an-already brilliant squad blessed with the likes of Iker Casillas, Zinédine Zidane, Raúl, Fernando Morientes and Luís Figo. They didn’t win the Champions League that season – indeed Ronaldo never did.
At Barcelona, when Thierry Henry signed, he was harnessing his talents to Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Victor Valdés, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Co. – but that 2007/08 season was less than stellar. Even when Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaká all joined Real Madrid in the same summer of 2009, it took the club a couple of years to begin to profit from their outright brilliance.
The thing about the current era is that coach Carlo Ancelotti knows every trick, technique and tactical nuance required to maximise the Frenchman’s outstanding abilities and mesh them with a squad which, though now missing Toni Kroos and Nacho, recently conquered Spain and Europe. When Ancelotti was in charge at AC Milan, he needed to be ultra-flexible in order to fit together so many disparate superstar talents and, thus, reach three Champions League finals, winning two. Think of how, during his first spell at Madrid, Ancelotti brilliantly created what became known as the BBC (Gareth Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) by redeploying Ángel Di María as a midfielder rather than a winger. That was inspirational. And Madrid won the Champions League.
Look also at how Madrid’s visionary, savvy coach started moving Vinícius from his preferred left-wing slot to centre-forward across the last ten months – during which they were the best in Spain and in Europe. Good preparation. To add to these components, in search of maximising the impact of a historic talent like Mbappé on an already sublime squad, there is the truth that the Frenchman is far more than the product of his pace and finishing. He and I share a mutual friend and that contact told me that he’d rarely worked with a more professional, more willing, more interested-in-learning footballer – with a brilliant personality, the will-to-win, and the flexibility to adapt. These, as much as Mbappé’s innate abilities, can be the qualities which, gradually, ensure that watching Madrid’s new striker over his debut season in La Liga can offer the sight of magnificence.
I emphasise, again, it’s not a given! Another of the vital elements which must click together, like tumblers in a complicated locking mechanism, is how Mbappé and Vinícius work together both on and off the pitch. This is where those who wish to be doomsayers will park their bus. They will speculate about whether the arrival of a new superstar will somehow affect or disrupt Vinícius’s game and, therefore, spoil what looks like a perfect plot. Which, frankly, means that they don’t properly understand the brilliant young Brazilian. If there had been any doubts about Vinícius’s own facility to adapt to Madrid’s play when first settling at the Bernabéu, the winger simply redoubled his efforts, paid attention to what the senior players wanted, and soared.
He became what he is now, a Ballon d’Or candidate, by adapting, thriving, improving. And leading. The fact that he long ago began texting Mbappé in joyful anticipation of the havoc they could wreak together is an immensely positive sign. Above all, this Parisian is not as he is sometimes portrayed, erroneously, by those who only appreciate face values. Mbappé is a team player. He’s not greedy to only play in one position; he’s a winner, not an egotist, and he is at Madrid so that the club can dominate – not just to further enhance his superstar sheen.
Even a project as exciting as this will take work, dedication, error-correction, and positive attitude. All of which Ancelotti, Vinícius and Mbappé are more than capable of providing. Stand by, because this could be very special.
There is a natural, and wholly understandable, assumption among the paying public that if a storied club with a great squad add another world-class player then the obvious conclusion will be further success and even more trophies. Which is precisely what the vast majority of Real Madrid fans, and interested football neutrals, will already believe about Kylian Mbappé’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu.
But it doesn’t automatically work that way. There are handy examples in Spain to use as guide marks. When Ronaldo Nazário joined Los Blancos in 2002 as a recent World Cup winner and a Ballon D’Or imminent, he was embellishing an-already brilliant squad blessed with the likes of Iker Casillas, Zinédine Zidane, Raúl, Fernando Morientes and Luís Figo. They didn’t win the Champions League that season – indeed Ronaldo never did.
At Barcelona, when Thierry Henry signed, he was harnessing his talents to Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Victor Valdés, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Co. – but that 2007/08 season was less than stellar. Even when Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaká all joined Real Madrid in the same summer of 2009, it took the club a couple of years to begin to profit from their outright brilliance.
The thing about the current era is that coach Carlo Ancelotti knows every trick, technique and tactical nuance required to maximise the Frenchman’s outstanding abilities and mesh them with a squad which, though now missing Toni Kroos and Nacho, recently conquered Spain and Europe. When Ancelotti was in charge at AC Milan, he needed to be ultra-flexible in order to fit together so many disparate superstar talents and, thus, reach three Champions League finals, winning two. Think of how, during his first spell at Madrid, Ancelotti brilliantly created what became known as the BBC (Gareth Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) by redeploying Ángel Di María as a midfielder rather than a winger. That was inspirational. And Madrid won the Champions League.
There is a natural, and wholly understandable, assumption among the paying public that if a storied club with a great squad add another world-class player then the obvious conclusion will be further success and even more trophies. Which is precisely what the vast majority of Real Madrid fans, and interested football neutrals, will already believe about Kylian Mbappé’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu.
But it doesn’t automatically work that way. There are handy examples in Spain to use as guide marks. When Ronaldo Nazário joined Los Blancos in 2002 as a recent World Cup winner and a Ballon D’Or imminent, he was embellishing an-already brilliant squad blessed with the likes of Iker Casillas, Zinédine Zidane, Raúl, Fernando Morientes and Luís Figo. They didn’t win the Champions League that season – indeed Ronaldo never did.
At Barcelona, when Thierry Henry signed, he was harnessing his talents to Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Victor Valdés, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Co. – but that 2007/08 season was less than stellar. Even when Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaká all joined Real Madrid in the same summer of 2009, it took the club a couple of years to begin to profit from their outright brilliance.
The thing about the current era is that coach Carlo Ancelotti knows every trick, technique and tactical nuance required to maximise the Frenchman’s outstanding abilities and mesh them with a squad which, though now missing Toni Kroos and Nacho, recently conquered Spain and Europe. When Ancelotti was in charge at AC Milan, he needed to be ultra-flexible in order to fit together so many disparate superstar talents and, thus, reach three Champions League finals, winning two. Think of how, during his first spell at Madrid, Ancelotti brilliantly created what became known as the BBC (Gareth Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) by redeploying Ángel Di María as a midfielder rather than a winger. That was inspirational. And Madrid won the Champions League.
There is a natural, and wholly understandable, assumption among the paying public that if a storied club with a great squad add another world-class player then the obvious conclusion will be further success and even more trophies. Which is precisely what the vast majority of Real Madrid fans, and interested football neutrals, will already believe about Kylian Mbappé’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu.
But it doesn’t automatically work that way. There are handy examples in Spain to use as guide marks. When Ronaldo Nazário joined Los Blancos in 2002 as a recent World Cup winner and a Ballon D’Or imminent, he was embellishing an-already brilliant squad blessed with the likes of Iker Casillas, Zinédine Zidane, Raúl, Fernando Morientes and Luís Figo. They didn’t win the Champions League that season – indeed Ronaldo never did.
At Barcelona, when Thierry Henry signed, he was harnessing his talents to Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Victor Valdés, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Co. – but that 2007/08 season was less than stellar. Even when Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaká all joined Real Madrid in the same summer of 2009, it took the club a couple of years to begin to profit from their outright brilliance.
The thing about the current era is that coach Carlo Ancelotti knows every trick, technique and tactical nuance required to maximise the Frenchman’s outstanding abilities and mesh them with a squad which, though now missing Toni Kroos and Nacho, recently conquered Spain and Europe. When Ancelotti was in charge at AC Milan, he needed to be ultra-flexible in order to fit together so many disparate superstar talents and, thus, reach three Champions League finals, winning two. Think of how, during his first spell at Madrid, Ancelotti brilliantly created what became known as the BBC (Gareth Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) by redeploying Ángel Di María as a midfielder rather than a winger. That was inspirational. And Madrid won the Champions League.
Look also at how Madrid’s visionary, savvy coach started moving Vinícius from his preferred left-wing slot to centre-forward across the last ten months – during which they were the best in Spain and in Europe. Good preparation. To add to these components, in search of maximising the impact of a historic talent like Mbappé on an already sublime squad, there is the truth that the Frenchman is far more than the product of his pace and finishing. He and I share a mutual friend and that contact told me that he’d rarely worked with a more professional, more willing, more interested-in-learning footballer – with a brilliant personality, the will-to-win, and the flexibility to adapt. These, as much as Mbappé’s innate abilities, can be the qualities which, gradually, ensure that watching Madrid’s new striker over his debut season in La Liga can offer the sight of magnificence.
I emphasise, again, it’s not a given! Another of the vital elements which must click together, like tumblers in a complicated locking mechanism, is how Mbappé and Vinícius work together both on and off the pitch. This is where those who wish to be doomsayers will park their bus. They will speculate about whether the arrival of a new superstar will somehow affect or disrupt Vinícius’s game and, therefore, spoil what looks like a perfect plot. Which, frankly, means that they don’t properly understand the brilliant young Brazilian. If there had been any doubts about Vinícius’s own facility to adapt to Madrid’s play when first settling at the Bernabéu, the winger simply redoubled his efforts, paid attention to what the senior players wanted, and soared.
He became what he is now, a Ballon d’Or candidate, by adapting, thriving, improving. And leading. The fact that he long ago began texting Mbappé in joyful anticipation of the havoc they could wreak together is an immensely positive sign. Above all, this Parisian is not as he is sometimes portrayed, erroneously, by those who only appreciate face values. Mbappé is a team player. He’s not greedy to only play in one position; he’s a winner, not an egotist, and he is at Madrid so that the club can dominate – not just to further enhance his superstar sheen.
Even a project as exciting as this will take work, dedication, error-correction, and positive attitude. All of which Ancelotti, Vinícius and Mbappé are more than capable of providing. Stand by, because this could be very special.
There is a natural, and wholly understandable, assumption among the paying public that if a storied club with a great squad add another world-class player then the obvious conclusion will be further success and even more trophies. Which is precisely what the vast majority of Real Madrid fans, and interested football neutrals, will already believe about Kylian Mbappé’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu.
But it doesn’t automatically work that way. There are handy examples in Spain to use as guide marks. When Ronaldo Nazário joined Los Blancos in 2002 as a recent World Cup winner and a Ballon D’Or imminent, he was embellishing an-already brilliant squad blessed with the likes of Iker Casillas, Zinédine Zidane, Raúl, Fernando Morientes and Luís Figo. They didn’t win the Champions League that season – indeed Ronaldo never did.
At Barcelona, when Thierry Henry signed, he was harnessing his talents to Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Victor Valdés, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Co. – but that 2007/08 season was less than stellar. Even when Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaká all joined Real Madrid in the same summer of 2009, it took the club a couple of years to begin to profit from their outright brilliance.
The thing about the current era is that coach Carlo Ancelotti knows every trick, technique and tactical nuance required to maximise the Frenchman’s outstanding abilities and mesh them with a squad which, though now missing Toni Kroos and Nacho, recently conquered Spain and Europe. When Ancelotti was in charge at AC Milan, he needed to be ultra-flexible in order to fit together so many disparate superstar talents and, thus, reach three Champions League finals, winning two. Think of how, during his first spell at Madrid, Ancelotti brilliantly created what became known as the BBC (Gareth Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) by redeploying Ángel Di María as a midfielder rather than a winger. That was inspirational. And Madrid won the Champions League.
